Chris White talks about his family's legacy in Bilston and about the impending closure of A.R. White and Son

Express & Star

James Vukmirovic speaks to Chris White about his retirement plans and the closure of his shop A.R. White and Son after 96 years operating in Bilston

Transcript

00:00It's fine. Hello, I'm James McRaevich and welcome to one of the centres of good taste within Bilston.

00:07This is an emporium of good suits, good shirts, tasteful shoes and virtually everything else you

00:12could do for your menswear needs. This is AR White & Son. For more than 90 years it has been

00:17the purveyor of good taste within Bilston and Chris White here is the third generation of the

00:23family. However, this will not be here much longer because Chris, I believe you've taken

00:27the decision to retire. That's correct, I've decided after working for 45 years to sort

00:32of wind down and close the shop this year. Is there sort of a bittersweet feeling towards

00:36doing that? Yeah, 100%. I mean it's been a massive part of the family, sort of I'm a third generation

00:41and it's going to be a sad emotional day when I finally shut the shop but it just feels like

00:47the right time to do it. Let's talk about that decision first of all. So how recently did

00:52you sort of think to yourself, okay, I don't think I can do this or I don't want to keep

00:56you doing this? Probably a couple of years ago, I mean, we had COVID as you know, which

01:00was upset every business and cost us quite a bit of money really. Because I was going

01:04to have a refit the shop and everything but because of that we put that back on the shelf

01:09sort of thing and then sort of family retiring, friends retiring and just after 45 years it

01:14just feels like the right time to do it now. Well we're talking about the end at the moment,

01:17let's sort of talk about the history of the shop. So it's about 95 years, 96 years.

01:23My granddad actually came in 1927, it was a menswear shop called Richardson's and he was

01:29like assistant manager and the manager at the time decided to close it so my granddad bought

01:34it off in 1929. Dad came in when he was 18, about 1959 that was, and I came in in 1980 when

01:42I was 18. So there is the whole idea of a family trade that's definitely been a family trade.

01:46Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's been the attraction for people working here? I suppose it's the

01:52fact that, you know, the areas that probably not live in the area, obviously Bilston people,

01:57are great, you know, customer wives and everything and that's probably the main reason.

02:01Because that is something, when the message went out on Facebook, it did say thank you very

02:06much, I am very much a Bilstonian. Are you Bilston born and bred or have you sort of grown up in the area?

02:10Yeah, I'm not, I mean, my father was born in Mount Pleasant around the corner, and my granddad

02:15was just down the road as well. But I was born in over Hampton. But my dad was a true Bilstonian

02:21as we call her, but I feel like I am, I'm part of the town, but I'm not a true Bilstonian,

02:25I'd like to think of you.

02:27People have obviously taken you and your family into that because the shop's been a very popular

02:31feature within Bilston over the years, hasn't it?

02:33Yeah, yeah, 100%, yeah. I mean, I've obviously been here for 96 years. It's been in Magda.

02:38We've had, like, you know, granddad's come in, then the son's come in, then the family's

02:43just grown, you know, sort of thing, and they all start coming in as they get older, to be

02:46honest. So what's been that sort of factor that made people want to come back? Has it been

02:49the quality of the clothes, the welcome they get, the feeling, is there sort of a mixture

02:53of things that makes this place what it is? Yeah, I think people still like personal

02:56service. I mean, people have said that to me, like the fact that we can order stuff to fit

03:00them, we go out our way to make sure it fits. Just put that extra mile in, really. That's

03:05the bottom, in personal service. And so your granddad obviously had that power to get people

03:10back in, sending your father. Yeah. What is it about yourself that, I suppose, has made

03:14this shop work? What mark have you put on the place? Well, when I came into the business,

03:18it was actually just downstairs. This was just a stockroom as we're standing here now. I mean,

03:22Dad was just setting suits and that sort of thing. I said, well, why don't we do upstairs

03:27the showroom and do expand it, do hire. You had big ideas, basically. Yeah, well, just

03:31to do coach, to expand the stock and a better showroom and expand the business and make it

03:36better. So what have you learned over the last 45 years? A lot, really. Just, you know,

03:41just obviously how business runs and obviously how the family business runs. I just, I just

03:45enjoyed serving customers and buying stock, selling stock, and it's the whole part of the

03:49business, really. In terms of the future, was there ever an idea of selling the shop on,

03:53or was it, did you literally think, this is it? No, I've never, because my son didn't

03:58come into it. I sort of thought, no, I'd like to just set it, clear the stock and that's

04:04it, really. Just run it down and close it completely. Well, people talk about the high

04:08street of Bilston, how things are going. Do you think it's going to really affect the

04:12high street to see this place go? Probably on the sad side. I mean, obviously,

04:15customers are going to miss the fact that we're not here anymore. The nostalgic side. Yeah,

04:19exactly right. Yeah, we've had some lovely customers come in, you know, and said thank

04:22you for, you know, for being here and what we've done for them in the past. And also

04:25we've had cars and two bottles of wine and that. But look, they will miss us, obviously.

04:29I'm going to miss it as well, but hopefully something will come back soon, or maybe not, you know.

04:34Do you think that gentlemen's tailors are still everything of the past, or do you think

04:37there's still a future for them? A hundred percent, that is still definitely, you know, a place for them.

04:41Because again, people like being served, you know, with all different shapes, things need to be altered,

04:45and some of the big high street brands or companies can't do that, whereas the independent

04:49menswear shops can. It's that family search, basically. Yeah, yeah. And what would you like to say?

04:54I know you put a very good message out on Facebook about this thing, thanking the people at Bilston,

04:59but sort of looking into the camera, what would you like to say to all the people who've come here over the years?

05:03Yeah, I'd just like to say, you know, thank you so much for your support. You've all been amazing.

05:07Without you, we wouldn't still, well, we wouldn't have lasted 96 years. I'd just like to thank you so much for your support.

05:12And, yeah, obviously you're still here until about September, October.

05:17Yeah, I'm thinking September, possibly October, so it just depends on how the stock goes.

05:21The stock runs down to a certain amount. That's the dates I've got in there around September.

05:26Do you plan to have some sort of grand closing, or is it literally going to be,

05:28yeah, thank you very much, close the doors and...

05:30No, I'm not sure, actually. When I think of a date, I'm certainly going to think of doing something.

05:34I think I might have a drink with a few people around the area or something.

05:37I suppose that's the thing. Have you let the product speak for itself?

05:39Or have you been keen to sort of shout the good name of this place?

05:43I've never really shouted it out like some...

05:45Not me, you know, one of the people say,

05:47maybe I'll tie a little bit more, but no.

05:48I think it's because it's been here so long and hopefully the world has spread.

05:52I've just kept it like that, really. Not really, yeah.

05:54Spread it like that.

05:55In general, AR White & Sun has been a part of the Bilson fabric and it will be very much missed.

06:00Yeah, yeah, 100%. I certainly thought it was going to be a really emotional day when we close it,

06:06but unfortunately nothing is forever.

06:09Well, that day is not coming just yet.

06:11You've got a few more months to come down here.

06:13Get yourself a nice suit, get yourself a pair of shoes, get yourself a shirt

06:16and get yourself a nice tailored menswear experience.

06:21That's right.

06:22I mean, I could be like a pair of shoes.

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