Lewis's - The Star Wars (and others) Toy Mecca of Glasgow.

Nostalgically recollecting my Star Wars and He-Man sated youth, I recalled Lewis's in Argyll Street. At various times the toy department had rows upon rows of SW figs, I even remember they had the full 12-inch figure range at one point. As you visited the store progressively, throughout the eighties (in between spells of sitting on the floor and crying if you did not get what you wanted)the Masters of the Universe range slowly usurped their place on the aisles. I loved/love He-Man too, but it was a sad day when shelves packed with Niklto guards lay dormant - even as each figure had been priced at 30p.
Lewis's always had the stuffed animal section, the play-pool full of wind-up'n'go paddling toys and the little cubicle with kiosks of Britain's toys.
And Christmas! Glasgow has never been the same since Lewis's and its themed window displays vanished from Argyll Street (what was the metal coca-cola tree all about?)
Lewis's style and care for its toy department was in stark contrast to the cold uninteresting section found in Debenhams (is Debenham's now where Lewis's used to be?)
The Jolly Giant in Crow Road (FACT: opened the same day as 'The Buck Rogers Burger Bar') is another story. Christ, the eighties were more fun in general weren't they?
Any other Lewis's/jolly Giant/Buck Rogers Burger Bar memories (photos would be a treat!)from anybody?

PS - Mr Dank-Donk, I've bowed to pressure and now sport Labria the Devanonian as my icon.

 

:: gets all misty-eyed about the old Lewis toy department::

that was always the highlight of any journey into town .... Mum would drag us around Marks and Sparks and BHS and Arnotts, and they were all *****, and then you'd go into Lewis', through the ground floor perfume department, where the smell was just about overpowering, and then dash up the escalators, maybe four floors, and it was a wonderland

good Action man section as well - and lots of Scalextrix too....

:: icons ::

awww, MonkeyLizard, you didn'y need to do that. I was getting quite used to having a twin....