Who remembers beaties ? They used to have a shop which is now maplin electronics across from the peace gardens ? Is maplin now beaties is it the same company with a different name ? I used to love beaties :-)

was it a dept store?

if it was there are still a fair few in the west mids xx

No, it was, I suppose, a hobby shop. It sold things like model railways, modeling kits, that kind of thing. I think they also had a branch in Meadowhall for a while.

I used to love that shop. I think the company went into recievership however.

They split up in 1970.

John became a plasterer;

Paul went into manufacturing;

George opened his own Pork Pie Factory; and

Ted started a tadpole class.

Beatties, on Pinstone Street - just to prove I'm not being totally facetious - was a top notch model shop. No, not yer Naomi Campbells and all that, but Hornby Railways, Mamod Steam Engines and Remote Control Cars.

Typically, by the time I could walk in and buy what the heck I wanted, as opposed to drooling at something and thinking it would take me all year to save up, the blummin' place closed!

I bought many an Airfix from there.

Originally posted by empea
was it a dept store?

if it was there are still a fair few in the west mids xx

The ones in the West Midlands are not the same place, they're like Debenhams. I've been to the one in Wolverhampton. :)

There's a Beatties department store (Northampton is the only place i've seen one) and there used to be a Toy and Model shop chain too - but they've all vanished, or turned into Toymaster in recent years.

Yeah, they sadly went under some years back.

Was one of those shops I used to go in a lot, spend ages in there - only to end up not buying anything. That might have been one of their problems..

My fault, sorry! lol.

My son, when he was young, loved going in Beatties. He would sit for hours doing model planes etc. One day he pursuaded his nan to take him in the hope that she would buy him another kit. After deliberating for some time she was glad when he finally made a decision and asked what it was he had chosen. "It's a Fokker Friendship" he said........"our Mark" she said in disgust......"you shouldn't swear". Poor kid had no idea what she thought he had said......
I think he still get the model. Shame they've gone though. I didn't realise.

Talkin of beaties does anyone remember uncle arthurs ? There was one on woodseats opposite the big tree and one near dwp building (huge ugly red thing at the bottom of the moor) ive not been to either of these area's for ages so i dunno if they are still open ? Does anyone know ?

I used Beaties, they sold starship modles.. would've love one but didn't feel confident that I'd be able to comoleat it without messing it up.

Originally posted by eighty4
Who remembers beaties ? They used to have a shop which is now maplin electronics across from the peace gardens ? Is maplin now beaties is it the same company with a different name ? I used to love beaties :-)

all the anorak types died off and there wasn't enough boring people left to keep the shop going,so it shut:)

I want to buy a rocket kit - anyone know where I'm likely to get one in Sheffield. Beatties used to sell them....but are long gone.

Originally posted by Internetowl
I want to buy a rocket kit - anyone know where I'm likely to get one in Sheffield. Beatties used to sell them....but are long gone.

There's a model shop at Shalesmoor on the corner near the post office that may possibly do them.
And another near the GT at Fitzalan Square. Might be worth a shot.

Ok so you remember beaties and uncle arthurs, does anyone remember Tandy ? what happened to that place ?
Also does anyone remember a shop called fona ? It was similar to tandy, If i remember rightly Bridget Nielson used to be the women who was on the adverts on tv for it

Originally posted by eighty4
Ok so you remember beaties and uncle arthurs, does anyone remember Tandy ? what happened to that place ?
Also does anyone remember a shop called fona ? It was similar to tandy, If i remember rightly Bridget Nielson used to be the women who was on the adverts on tv for it

Tandy are Maplin and are still called Tandy in the states :)

Originally posted by Hook
Tandy are Maplin and are still called Tandy in the states :)

Actually Tandy was the European division of Radio Shack, founded by Mr Charles Tandy, they closed in the UK in 1999/2000 & sold their stores to The Carphone Warehouse.

Maplin Electronics is a totally seperate company that started in Westcliffe on sea.

Radio Shack are still going in the States... there's tons of them - but they're not quite upto Starbucks standards yet!

I remember fona, wasn't there one in Meadowhall for a short while? Somewhere near Johnathon James's I think, it was Bridget Nielson in the ads.

What about Connect? Electrical shop, near JD Sports on Pinstone Street, you got a free screwdriver and plug with everything you bought!

Didn't Beaties on Pinstone St have the train set running round the ceiling?

i to used to visit beaties pity it shut down as there are no more decent model shops left in the city centre :(

What - Beatties has closed?? You'll be telling me next that Redgates has gone, that they don't sell Sasparilla in that shop on Woodseats any more and that the Abbeydale cinema has stopped showing the Sound of Music. I really should get out more

Originally posted by eighty4
Talkin of beaties does anyone remember uncle arthurs ? There was one on woodseats opposite the big tree and one near dwp building (huge ugly red thing at the bottom of the moor) ive not been to either of these area's for ages so i dunno if they are still open ? Does anyone know ?

As far as im aware, the one at WoodSeats is still there, I have never been into that one, although i used to go in the one at the bottom of the moor all the time, that one closed down about 4 years ago and now is a picture framing shop (i think, i know it was at one point)

Originally posted by grandadtee
What - Beatties has closed?? You'll be telling me next that Redgates has gone, that they don't sell Sasparilla in that shop on Woodseats any more and that the Abbeydale cinema has stopped showing the Sound of Music. I really should get out more

Wow, The art of sarcasm isnt dead with you is it?

Yes, so Beatties closed about 10 years ago, it turned into something else for a while (cant remember what), then into Maplins, and has been Maplins for about 3 years now

Originally posted by fredsredhat
Didn't Beaties on Pinstone St have the train set running round the ceiling?

That's the one. A lot of everything it had - now the closest there is would be in Meadowhell on the top level just on the entrance to Oasis - trains, models et al.

Originally posted by craigmason
i to used to visit beaties pity it shut down as there are no more decent model shops left in the city centre :(

There is one as stated next to the GT news and insurance place near the old Post Office building - just up from pond street.

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&GridE=-1.46482&GridN=53.38248&lon=-1.46482&lat=53.38248&search_result=Flat%20Street%2C%20S1%2C%20SHEFFIELD&GridN=53.38248&GridE=-1.46482&db=GB&cidr_client=none&lang=&place=Flat+Street,+S1,+SHEFFIELD&pc=&advanced=&client=public&addr2=Flat+Street&quicksearch=flat+street,+sheffield&addr3=sheffield&scale=5000&addr1=

you mean tags model shop

tags (http://www.tagsmodelshop.com/index1.htm)

Model shops are disapearing fast. Ahh the days of popping into Beaties on a Saturday afternoon and looking at their over priced starwars figures and their over priced Britains Limited 'Knights and Turks". And even buying their over priced Tamiya and Italeri WWI kits, along with a couple of pots of humbrol , a 00 paintrush and a bag of flock.

sniff, miss those days. Beaties was blinkin dear though...now Redgates ...Ahh hthere was a shop of Dreams.

There's a Beatties department store (Northampton is the only place i've seen one) and there used to be a Toy and Model shop chain too - but they've all vanished, or turned into Toymaster in recent years.

There is a Beatties in Huddersfield but it is a Department Store not a model shop.

my big bro worked there for years! He was the boffin, who knew everything there was to know about everything..lol The one with the beard Graham:hihi::hihi: The manager was George and I had a secret crush on nick! lol Seriously it was a London based firm, who in the end bought too much stock at the wrong time, there was a big who harr....and Beatties in sheffield lost out as part of the chain, that's about it really.
We still have very knowledgable Tag's and Marcway for top models though, as well as the one in Meadowhall.

graham moved on to Jessops photo shop and now works at the branch in Chesterfield.

Aye Marcway's is great, they probably have the best selection of kits. Tags is good for R/C stuff, Rails Of Sheffield on Chesterfield Road are the cheapest place for model railways, tho not the best, the staff are the worst I've ever come across (no offence), I'd rather buy from Sheffield Transport Models anyday.

Didn't Beaties on Pinstone St have the train set running round the ceiling?

wow yeah! i remember as a kid thinking that was the coolest thing i had ever seen!

yes it just whent...great shop tho could stay for hours in their

Kids prefer square eyes sat in front of a computer...building something would be very difficult for most kids nowadays...not surprising they went bust.

Then again the smaller outlets are being kept alive by those that do/did get a kick from building something. As the average modeler is now about 60 most outlets have about 10 yrs before they go under...:(

most kids today don't have the patience but we did'nt have computers and stuff when I was a kid.

I'm doing a project in memory of my dad at the moment....Avro Vulcan B2 bomber...as he worked on this beast whilst in the RAF.
I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of the kit....Airfix....plus I get to do a lot of research into the history etc, something I never got chance to hear from my dad. Cold war etc, lots of wierd experiments, he died at the age of 53...so one wonders?

most kids today don't have the patience but we did'nt have computers and stuff when I was a kid.

I'm doing a project in memory of my dad at the moment....Avro Vulcan B2 bomber...as he worked on this beast whilst in the RAF.
I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of the kit....Airfix....plus I get to do a lot of research into the history etc, something I never got chance to hear from my dad. Cold war etc, lots of wierd experiments, he died at the age of 53...so one wonders?

i have built one of those and done it white! looks amazing

i have built one of those and done it white! looks amazing

That's the one!!!! Anti flash white as in cold war, blue steel, dad was in 617! :hihi:

hi

i will tell you what happend to beaties. my grandad was the managing director when beaties was bought by eira. eira was about to go bust. eira asked beaties for a large sum of money which thay had to pay. they paid it but then they went bust and the amount wasnt big enough to save eira so they went bust aswell. i hope that answers your questions

Who remembers beaties ? They used to have a shop which is now maplin electronics across from the peace gardens ? Is maplin now beaties is it the same company with a different name ? I used to love beaties :-)

he was sold to Stoke

i dont, was it an rc car shop?

A pal of mine used to be a manager in one of their stores. He left them when they started losing the plot and trying to sell electronic games. They had no pedigree for this and none of the games were selling even though they were selling elsewhere. The stuff that was selling was being squeezed out so the regulars started buying elsewhere. The rest is history.