Christmas shopping in times gone by
Stabroek News
December 25, 2004
Where did people do their Christmas shopping in the old days? Apart from the markets, if they lived in the city the answer was probably Water Street, which remained the nation's major commercial thoroughfare for well over a century.
Photo 1 shows Water Street circa 1865, the row of awnings indicating store fronts. A generation later (Photo 2) the awnings are still there, although some of the stores would have been considerably larger than their earlier predecessors.
Then as now, the premier department stores were Fogarty's (Photo 3), and Bookers Universal (now Guyana Stores). Photo 4 shows the head office portion of Bookers.
There were other general stores around in Water Street, like Garnett & Co, (Photo 5). Although it dealt in lumber, it also sold a wide range of other goods, including coffee, which it advertised as its speciality. The photograph here is from the early 1940s.
There were no supermarkets prior to the 1960s, and those seeking a wider selection of foodstuffs than the corner shop could offer, would go to a store like the Standard Cash Grocery in Water Street (Photo 6).
For people in need of ready cash to spend at Christmas time, there was, for instance, the Portuguese Mutual Pawnbroking Co, Robb and Hincks Streets (Photo 7, circa 1940s).
And after a hard day sanding the furniture there was always the Empire Bar at the corner of Murray and Carmichael Streets where a man could stop for some quick fortification (Photo 8).
Life in New Amsterdam was somewhat more leisurely than in Georgetown, because it was smaller (Photo 9), although some stores can be seen in the picture below.
In the villages, there was even less choice. Photo 10 (late 19th century) shows a village shop with its customers - the proprietors, presumably, being the two Chinese in the centre.