Shop shelves

The shop shelves aren't in any way outstanding but they are sort of filled and that will do for now.  I am sure things will get replaced and added to as I live with Bentleys and find little gems to buy for it.  I just didn't want them standing semi-empty waiting for future treasures.

The corner shelf has a little favourite of mine that was almost the first thing I bought when I was dreaming of Le Tout Paris.  It is a fox fur complete with beady little eyes and fuzzy ears.

The glove box beside it contains a lovely pair of kid gloves - what a shame only I know they are there!

You might recognise the glove display below them  as one of the recent Craft-pack items I made up.  I have taken apart five of the six I made and re-jigged them for various places.  Handy tip - try to figure out precisely what you want to do with something before you glue it together.  I am nothing if not awkward. Happily they have all re-assembled quite nicely thanks to using the tiniest spots of glue in the first place. I am always frugal with the glue.

The double shelf has very few things that will remain as time goes on.  

For example, I am not too sure about costume jewellery being sold this way in 1911.  I need to look again at Selfridge's which, along with Everywoman's Encyclopaedia, is my model for the shop.

Similarly with the single shelf.  

As I keep saying all the shelves need thinking about, but for now they'll do.

 If I can subsume all my historical doubts, this display shelf at the back of  the shop (left side) can stay as it is.  I know that I need to persuade myself that I am not making an historically accurate 1/12th model.  Even though Bentleys isn't literally a doll's house for a child to play with, it isn't a museum piece either.  If I can just stop being so pernickety about every detail, I shall be able to bowl along happily with it - warts and all.

This particular piece of furniture is very nicely made.  It has nicely decorated mirrored doors at the back which open to allow you to fill the shelves.  In reality it would have to be in a place where you could have access all round.  I couldn't make that happen in my layout so here is a prime example of my simply ignoring one/one reality.  I wouldn't want to have to drag this away from the wall every five minutes to get into it if I was working there.  I could add castors (?) or just pretend the sides open!

 The counter has silk ribbons on the top which the customer has been ordering.  The top glass shelf is completely empty because I want to fill it with fabric and lace which would be sold for trimming hats.

I am unsure about a cash till. I think I might have one of those wooden box types they had.  This shop doesn't really depend on a drop in cash sort of trade. It is more about ordering, delivering and running accounts.

The bottom shelf has a bundle of boxes which contain all sorts of bits and bobs for hats such as silk roses, buckles, beads etc.

It was commonplace for (not so well off) ladies to have a couple of basic hats which they re-trimmed according to the season or the occasion.  

I have a lovely print of a poster from 1911 advertising 'The New Velvet Hat - The Shirley' and showing ten different ways to trim it for all occasions.  Magazines and the encyclopaedia I mentioned were always full of pictures and instructions for trimming your hat.

All the boxes used throughout the displays, I am pretty sure, are totally wrong.  I was born thirty odd years after 1911 and I don't remember items being sold in fancy printed boxes in shops in my childhood. They would be a basic, usually brown, cardboard box.  They might have some names or numbers on to identify the contents and maybe some sort of picture or logo in black print.  Like most people doing this hobby I am reluctant to stock my shop with these things because I also want the end result to be pretty.  Yet another mini dilemma.  To be thought about another day....