11 incredible photos of the historic Stourbridge shop recreated at a Black Country tourist attraction
Its closure marked the end of an era for a Black Country town where devoted local customers shopped for more than half a century.
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Described as an Aladdin’s Cave, Langer’s Army and Navy Store in Stourbridge was almost as much a landmark as the town clock or Mary Stevens Park.
The business in Enville Street, run by German-born Herbert Langer, closed its doors for good two decades ago in 2004 following Mr Langer’s death.
But the legend lives on as it is now recreated along with two other heritage local shops from the 1940s and 60s at the Black Country Living Museum.
Mr Langer was renowned for his spectacular displays of overalls, tools, backpacks and other wares outside the business which he painstakingly arranged every day - since buying the shop from his employer in 1953.
As well as the army and workwear, the shop boasted an amazing array of bric-a-brac, selling things almost impossible to find anywhere else.
For example, on display in the window before it closed, was a 1970s car radio - ideal perhaps for somebody restoring a classic car, and old-style metal light switches which might be of interest for somebody with a period home.
