Foreword: This is a story that begins a hundred years ago. Or perhaps even before then, going back several generations to a family whose roots are found in the the thriving cotton industry of Edwardian Lancashire. Although his forefathers may have made their living at the loom, George Heyworth - born towards the end of the nineteenth century - had greater ambitions. It is his story, and the story of the women who worked for him, that fills the pages of this book.
Paperback: For Eve, Irene, Betty and Rosemary, working at the exclusive Heyworth's department store in Cambridge is a dream come true.
Once the girls step inside the elegant building - surrounded by luxurious dresses and beautiful accessories - the hardships of their own lives are temporarily forgotten.
Serving a variety of curious customers, from glamorous gypsy queens to genuine royalty and stuffy academics to the city's fashionable elite, the store is a place where these bright young women can forge successful careers under the ever-watchful eye of flamboyant owner Mr Heyworth.
Set during the closing years of the Second World War, and moving into the 1950s and swinging sixties, The Shop Girls (2014) perfectly recreates the camaraderie and friendship of these fascinating young women, and brings to life the thrilling hustle and bustle of a fashionable department store.
The Shop Girls is dedicated to Eve, Irene, Betty and Rosemary for generously sharing their stories about working in an elegant ladies department store during a bygone era when courtesy and first-rate customer service was expected from all shop girls - especially at Heyworth's Fashions, Cambridge. It is also in memory of two extraordinary men, George and Herbert Heyworth, who elegantly attired so many women in Cambridge and beyond.
About the author: The reader can find out more about Ellee Seymour here.
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