(24 Nov 2016, 7:28 pm)MurdnunoC wrote I remember getting a He-Man figure from Shephards of Gateshead once, but most of the department stores in that article bring back memories of being bored whilst being dragged around shopping with my Mam at an early age. I used to hate going to Byker - Parrish's is mentioned but there used to be another one across Shields Road named Beavans which was equally as boring. Hamleys was always a decent experience though.

Sounds like we had similar experiences. Often ended up in Parrish's and Beavans. I can't remember anything too specific about Parrish's, but the old fashioned lift in Beavans stands out.

Shepards was always tagged on to a trip to Tesco.

Farnons was usually for school uniform stuff.

Binns was huge. I was dragged in there on the afternoon of Keegans debut as manager and remember trying to spend as long as I could in the TV department when he was featuring on Football Focus or Saint & Greavsie.

I can remember a big store of some sort opposite Binns, within the fabric of the Grainger Market. Can't remember its name. It was towards the now pedestrianised section of Grainger Street, rather than Nunn Street/Farnons.