South Yorkshire Times, November 11, 1967

“New Look” For Interior of Goldthorpe Shop Premises

It’ was a completely new venture for Mr. John Houghton when he opened a chemist’s shop in Barnsley Road, Goldthorpe, but in under two years he has built up a very successful business, and recent alterations in the shop have given the people of the area a much larger variety of goods in more modern surroundings.

Mr. Houghton was a medical representative for a drug company, and working in South Yorkshire he saw the opportunity of opening a shop in Goldthorpe.

He began business in January last year and since then the shop has undergone several changes. The exterior was given a ‘face lift’ and the stone was cleaned and now has an attractive light grey finish.

The Big Change

Then last month the big change came when the interior of the shop was re-fitted. “We now have three times more shop area,” said Mr. Houghton.

Counters were removed and the goods are now displayed on shelves and fittings around the walls. “The idea is to encourage people to select their own merchandise,” added Mr. Houghton.

With more room in the shop Mr. Houghton has been able to provide more variety in the goods on sale, and several new agencies have been introduced, especially in the cosmetics line.

It is now much easier for a customer to go into the shop and see before him the different brands of a certain article without having to ask the assistants to show them to him. Although people are encouraged to do this and they can make their choice in their own time, there are always three assistants on hand to give advice on different products and to help customers find the articles they are looking for.

Staff Working in the modernised premises of Houghton the Chemist, Doncaster Road, Goldthorpe.