14 nostalgic pictures of Birmingham shops that will remind you of the city's past

There was a time when shopping in Birmingham meant more than filling a bag with the week’s necessities. It was a social ritual, and a marker of the city’s distinctive character.

Long before the era of shopping centres and online orders, the streets of Birmingham thrived with independent shops, family-run businesses, and bustling department stores that created strong for generations.

For many Brummies, memories of these places are stitched into their sense of the city.

We’ve taken a step back in time to see Birmingham’s old stores around the city centre. Take a look here:

13. Kardomah Coffee Shop

The Kardomah cafés were a chain of coffee shops in the UK and Paris. In Birmingham, it was near Snow Hill and on New Street. | Vouliagmeni/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

14. Rackhams Birmingham 1979

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Birmingham West Midlands

14 nostalgic pictures of Birmingham shops that will remind you of the city's past

There was a time when shopping in Birmingham meant more than filling a bag with the week’s necessities. It was a social ritual, and a marker of the city’s distinctive character.

13. Kardomah Coffee Shop

14. Rackhams Birmingham 1979

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