Memories of Jacksons

I have just watched Inside Out on BBC 1 (it will be on iPlayer) which featured the closing of Jacksons and I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat. 

I have some very old memories of Jacksons.  I used to go there with my mother and late maternal grandmother when I was a little girl.  We'd go to the haberdashery department and I'd spend my time, while they were browing, pushing the cotton reels in on their sprung stand and marvelling at the different colours of tapestry wool and stranded embroidery cotton.

I loved the wool department too.  It just seems so safe and comforting to be surrounded by the rustling packets of wool.

When I was at school you couldn't take a Jacksons bag with you as you'd be teased. In the early 90's Jacksons Corner was somewhere people said the streetworkers were.  I guess they moved after Broad Street was pedestrianised and there was no through traffic.  Or maybe they weren't there at all?  I was too young to know anything more than the rumours.

Even though I passed Jackons when popping into town from work, I rarely bought anything as an adult as they just didn't sell things I needed.  I can knit, crochet and sew but I just don't have the time.  My children don't need specialist school uniform. The fashion just wasn't for me.  I think the last thing I bought was something from the haberdashery department.

I went to view the auction lots on Friday and seeing the haberdashery department empty was so sad.  The step didn't even ring a bell (or was it a buzzer) anymore to let the sales assistants that we were down there.

I watched the auction on my laptop and bought a table.  I wanted a memory of Jacksons (and also needed a table as we don't have one).  It would seem that lots of Reading's residents wanted to keep a little bit of Jacksons too.