21 years in The Lakes

February 15, 2009 Rohan People & Places 9 comments

Have you spotted this on the Rohan website or current Rohan catalogue…

‘To celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the opening of Rohan Keswick and Ambleside stores, we’re holding an extra special Lake District Weekend.
Every Rohan customer is invited’.

Where ever you live in the UK you are probably not that far from a Rohan store.
Aberdeen to Truro taking in Belfast and the Isle of Man on the way there are 35 plus
stores.
OK what about xxxxx I hear you say.
Well yes there may be a few gaps where the trek to the nearest Rohan store is over hills and far away.
Not many.

In the 21 years since the first Rohan Lakes store opened a lot of shop openings have followed.
Before The first Lakes shop opened the trend had started. Long Preston was powering away at the heart of the Rohan universe and Convent Garden was open at the alternative centre of the universe. Hale, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh Chichester and Bishop Strortford followed. The 1st. Lakes store was number 9.

A question
Who can recall the very first Rohan Lakes store and the faces that you would meet and greet you.
A clue or three – the bright red awning, the big red light and Darayls tea. OK no more clues.
In the very early days this particular store had something completely different from all the other Rohan stores.
Anybody remember what that was?

rohan-windermere

9 Comments

admin says:

13/05/2009 at 18:19

Thanks JS. We may have a sighting of the light in the Arnside area – can anyone confirm?
J7s says:

13/05/2009 at 17:21

The Big Red Light. Yes, I often wondered why it hadn’t ended up gracing my living room! It eventually turned out that “The Big Red Light” was a “crucial fixture” upon selling the premises when moving further north.

Apologies Admin, it’s not often I let my pomposity get the better of me but I will have to politely correct you. The light was a 1973 Paolo Rizzatto design for the Italian company Flos. It was given the underwhelming name of “Model 265″. It seems that understating excellent design and quality when naming a product was a trend back then. This is highlighted in the way my fiancée (new to Rohan) looks at me when I say “I’m wearing my Bags”.

As to where it is today, I do not know but a quick Google reveals that it is still being retailed therefore proving that the seventies can also be remembered for excellent design and innovation as well as the four day week and Punk Rock!
admin says:

30/04/2009 at 11:46

Great reply thank you for progressing the story. As for ‘something completely different’ – the beard and the bikes yes notable but do you remember the very big red light that hung over the desk? I think it may have been an Artemide (correct me please if I am wrong). Very impressive. In fact I think it remained in the shop when the shop moved to bigger premises!! Where is it now?
J7s says:

30/04/2009 at 08:47

Ah Yes, I remember the Windermere store very well. Perfect position at the top of the town next to Daryl’s cafe where mugs of tea were served in buckets! I can even remember the faces but I guess as they were three fifths of my family that is only to be expected. I lived above the shop and in between footpathing our beloved fells helped gut the premises before helping to install the very (at the time) hi-tech racking systems.

A very busy little shop that sometimes needed crowd control akin to Wembley, especially at sales time. Remember too, the Asimov style grey manequins battling staff in the window display and the dungeonesque store room. The Windermere store made me realise that Rohan wasn’t just a clothing system but a lifestyle too. People would travel for days, in lake district traffic, just for a catalogue. I eventually cut my retail teeth in the Windermere store before
opening the Keswick shop at the beginning of February 1988. In fact I’m sure I have a couple of photos of that very day!

21 years later I still wear my “moving on” & “super salls” on the fells and feel just as at home in my Hot Ice at the local Punk gig, Long Live Rohan!

As for something completely different at the Windermere shop, well, if it wasn’t my father’s beard then perhaps it was Saracen Mountain Bikes.
Caius says:

19/04/2009 at 13:23

I only vaguely recall the store, I do remember Al and Joy Evans and I think they qualify in making this store a little different.

The Windermere store is, sadly, no longer there. Its now, or was, a catering equipment shop.
Penny says:

07/03/2009 at 05:57

I remember the first Rohan shop in The Lakes. I think I can answer the question as to what was completely different about this shop. Was it a mountain climbing shop selling Rohan mountain clothes? It was a great little shop. I always looked forward to my visits and a cup of Daryle’s tea when I was in The Lakes.
David Southward says:

03/03/2009 at 01:06

Thank you for a great weekend, Alison and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. fantastic value, lovely hotel, great entertainment.

Thanks to all of the Rohan team, especially Samantha, for your hard work and dedication
A F Scott says:

02/03/2009 at 10:38

My wife and I had a reaaly great time at the 21 years in the Lakes. The hard work of Rohan to make it work was very worth while.
rodney hutchinson says:

28/02/2009 at 15:30

thanks for a great 21st weekend ing the lakes