Looking Back
through
40 years . . .
Margaret Elliott (right) has been the force behind SALLY TWINKLE throughout its first 40 years.
Sadly, Margaret died on February 15th 2007 in John Eastwood Hospice after a short illness and therefore was not able to see the business celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Below is a brief account of the growth of SALLY TWINKLE under the guidance of Margaret. From small beginnings, because of the dedication of Margaret and her loyal staff, the high reputation of the shop has grown far beyond the boundaries of Mansfield or even Nottinghamshire.
Read on . . .
In 1967, 30 year old Margaret Elliott worked for Farmer's Department Store in Nottingham. She caused quite a stir when she announced to her colleagues she was about to open a shop in Mansfield named . . . SALLY TWINKLE! They laughed and said the shop would not last a year. How wrong they were! SALLY TWINKLE is still with us forty years on, much larger and better stocked than Margaret the creator could ever have imagined in 1967.
Registering the business and gaining premises was an exciting but daunting task. But on Saturday 5th August 1967 at 9am SALLY TWINKLE first opened her doors in numbers 4 & 6 Handley Arcade, later moving to number 1 and then into 3 & 5 as well.
Through the hard work and enthusiasm of Margaret, supported by her loyal staff, SALLY TWINKLE went from strength to strength, though not without setbacks.
In July 1979, a savage fire hit the Handley Arcade. In the months before the Arcade was repaired, SALLY TWINKLE and the other businesses lost much trade.
About five years later, a sports car smashed through the shop window! For sometime the boarded up window declared: "SALLY TWINKLE OPEN AS USUAL. PLEASE COME IN - BUT NOT IN A CAR!"
When Margaret Elliott became ill, the staff (aka the TWINKLE GIRLS!) had to take on many extra responsibilities to keep the business running, with the additional worry following Margaret's death of what was going to happen to SALLY TWINKLE.
It was a great relief to hear the news that Margaret's friend, David Marriott, had bought the shop. In the pictures below, in a get-together in the shop to mark both the 40th anniversary of SALLY TWINKLE and its takeover by David Marriott, two former TWINKLE GIRLS, Doris (aged 94) and Audrey, are presented with gifts surrounded by the current TWINKLE GIRLS and David.
For other pictures of the TWINKLE GIRLS CLICK
Floral tribute to Margaret Elliott CLICK
For tribute to Margaret Elliot printed in "The Chad" newspaper 20 February 2007 CLICK
For TWINKLE GIRLS ARE STILL IN BUSINESS: "The Chad" 22 September 2007 CLICK
BELOW: From The CHAD newspaper 30 May 2007
