Beales – Life in a Department Store

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Beales, otherwise known as Fancy Fair or Oriental House, was established in 1881 by J. E. Beale. Beales was open in Bournemouth between the years 1881-2020. Commonly described as one of Bournemouth’s best-known department stores, the development of Beales had closely mirrored the development of Bournemouth.

Beale’s Fancy Fair –
J. E. Beale’s Photographic View of Bournemouth and Neighbourhood

This advert for Beales portrays the luxury people were to face when entering the store, with the promise to make your shopping trip the best.

Courtesy: Alwyn Ladell

The development of the Beales store engulfed the former Fancy Fair. Previously the store provided holiday items and trinkets, yet this soon developed as the store’s popularity soared. In the earlier days of Beales it was certainly aimed towards wealthier people of higher classes, stocking many expensive products – as this was a time where shopping was a luxury leisure activity. However, as time went on they began to stock more affordable items too, making sure everybody could be involved. The eight-storey property ended up providing something for everyone, selling everything from toys to bed linens to food in the restaurant.

Beale’s store in Old Christchurch Road (c. 1936) – Courtesy of Alwyn Ladell
Christmas window display – courtesy of Dorset Archive Centre

J. E. Beale enjoyed adding a touch of theatre to his work, and in 1885 he had the idea of bringing Father Christmas into the shop. This was possibly the first instance of this taking place in England. Beale was incredibly keen to make everybody’s visit memorable and soon organised many different events to involve the public in. One year Father Christmas arrived by air, and the year after the shop introduced an Easter farm which became a popular seasonal fixture. Also, in 1973 Beale brought a baby elephant to the store.

The quote below comes from a former employee of Beales, who further suggests the above idea that JE Beale would rather make memories for customers than solely focus on sales.

“One day a member of the staff had dealt with a customer and JE Beale asked how he had got on. He said he had not made a sale, to which Mr Beale replied ‘But did you make a friend?’ “That is how Beales built up its name.”

Frank, Bournemouth Echo

These instances of involving the public certainly had an effect on the popularity of the store. Beales soon became an incredibly popular destination for both tourists and locals. Not only did people find pleasure in visiting Beales as a customer, but employees found it an enjoyable place to work too.

Beales, 2019 – Courtesy of John K Thorne

In this audio clip, from an oral history interview surrounding working at Beales, a lady who was previously employed at Beales in the 1980s suggests how the personal relationship with the owners of Beales vastly contrasts to relationships modern-day employees in high-street stores have with their managers. She details that the owners consistently checked in with their employees, leading to a comfortable and enjoyable work life.

Later in this interview, the interviewee suggests how sales became endemic at Beales. Realistically this marked the beginning of the end for Beales. To compete with other stores Beales began to stock more and more items that couldn’t be sold, meaning they had to go on sale. Competition became incredibly frequent and Beales struggled to compete with newer, modern stores. Also, people now prefer a quick shopping trip rather than making a day out of it in a big department store that also offered restaurant food. Alongside this, the addition of the increase in online shopping led to a crisis for many department stores. The simplicity of online shopping is preferred by many, and its effects are really starting to impact the high street. Many department stores on Bournemouth high-street have been forced to close in recent years, and Beales had to close in 2020.

Sources used and further reading…

  • Brettell, Betty. Interviewed by Olivia Parsloe. 10/11/21.
  • ”Bringing Christmas to Bournemouth.” Dorset Life. https://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2016/12/bringing-christmas-to-bournemouth/
  • James, Arthur. ”Beales”. Flickr.
  • Parsons, J. F. ”J.E. Beale LTD. And The Growth of Bournemouth.”
  • Slade, Darren. ”134 Years of Beales: a Look at the Department Store’s Long History.” Bournemouth Echo. https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11800746.134-years-of-beales-a-look-at-the-department-stores-long-history/
  • Shopping in and around Bournemouth, 1990-1991.
  • Thorne, John K. ”Beales Department Store Bournemouth. (Closed Down).” Flickr.