The South Shields shop where you went to buy your favourite clothes

When it comes to fashion, despite the passing years, we can often remember when and where we bought our favourite clothes from.
Snatch Boutique in 1989.Snatch Boutique in 1989.
Snatch Boutique in 1989.

Such was the response to the posting of a Gazette photo from March 1989, featuring Snatch Boutique.

Pam Gowens took to social media to say: “Loved this shop, bought loads of outfits from it with help from the lovely Liz” while Carole Leithead told how it was “my fave shop on the Nook”.

Porchester Street in 1982.Porchester Street in 1982.
Porchester Street in 1982.
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Mary Odix went on Facebook to comment: “Bought my clothes from there, great shop” with Shirley Miller adding: “I loved my outfits from that shop, I bought my suit to wear after my wedding.”

Janet Frazer said: “Was my favourite shop Snatch and Sachins, where Liz Lewis Scorer used to work; bought a new outfit every week.”

Carol Gledhill-Reynolds told how: “I bought loads of great fashions from there, bring back a proper fashion shop at the Nook!”

Liz Lewis Scorer said: “Ahh happy days, loved my job there; lovely customers” while Sharon Ford told Beverley Chrisp how she was “just talking about my suit from Snatch”.

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Wendy HL told readers: “I bought my evening wedding outfit there, 1989!” and Sue Wade told how “we were just talking about this last week, couldn’t remember what it used to be”.

And there was some debate about another clothes shop nearby.

Mia Arnold suggested Sachin’s, adding how “my nana Maureen and her sister Mary worked there”, something Angela Davies seemed to confirm when she posted “two sisters worked there, one was called Mary, can’t remember the other ones name” while Shelley Metcalfe added: “Sachin’s does ring a bell!”

Meanwhile, a photo taken in September 1982, which showed Porchester Street “going back in time” for the start of filming of a “new” BBC 2 television children’s adventure serial, called The Machine Gunners, also generated a lot of interest when posted online.

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Keith Ford wrote: “I worked for the Northern Gas Board at the time and my boss said go to Porchester Street because there’s a riot. He thought the kids were setting fire to the flats. We had to check for any gas leaks ... but they were filming The Machine Gunners!”

Deka Roy posted: “Yeah remember that, some of the scenes were filmed at and around my school, Westoe Comprehensive. The kids involved had to have their haircut to the old style of the time of the film” while George David Turnbull also mentioned Westoe School before asking Karen Turnbull if she remembered “ya free haircut – 1940s style! ” Chris Barron reminded Sharon Wilkinson that “you were in this with Crooksy weren’t you? Remember watching the filming in Porchester Street actors had to come to front doors banging pans. They also made it look like a plane had crashed into Westoe Comp.”

Lianne Douglas took to Facebook to say: “I remember it being made” while Ted Nichol told how he was “living in Devonshire Street, Tyne Dock at the time, they filmed around us.”

David M Whitfield posted: “Looks like Dennis’s shop. Corner of Devonshire/Porchester Street.”

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Daz Sullivan, however, though the caption on the back of the photo was wrong.

He said: “In actual fact, this wasn’t the filming of The Machine Gunners, this was Ascendancy. I had a walk through part with none other than Julie Covington.”