Crowthers (39 South King St)

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The first shop that my cousin John, or young Jack as he was known, this shop was called Go Boutique and it was on Henshaw Street in Oldham. His success booked from there and very quickly became a very rich young man. 
I remember he got a house in Diggle, Saddleworth and put Barclay James Harvest in it to live. I remember going there, it was extremely basic but that was at the very beginning of their very successful career.
Unfortunately Jack died in a very unexpected way. He went to the dentist and was given 2 types of  sedation, they unfortunately had a very bad effect on him. He passed away before help arrived. It has always been a great sadness in the family. He was an extremely charismatic person but he lived more in his short life than most do in a lifetime.

Hi Kath. I worked at Crowther's too, starting in around 1968 as warehouseman and van driver. I delivered the CMT (cut, make and trim - poly bags of cut cloth, zips, buttons etc) to sweatshops all over Manchester and Stockport. Later, I would collect the finished dresses and take them to Sth King Street, to a warehouse, really a cellar below the jewellers next door but one to the shop. From there, we made up the orders to go to his shops in Chester, Birmingham, and eventually London, as well as to other boutiques, particularly in London: Miss Selfridge, Bus Stop, etc. 
initially, I was using John's old minivan for transporting the dresses. They were on hangers and individual plastic bags, but I had to be lie them down in the back of the van. From time to time, when I parked outside the shop and opened the van's back doors, there would be an avalanche of dresses sliding into the road. 
The designer and her team worked upstairs from the shop, before we all got moved out to Bank of England Mills at Ancoats. I left in 1969 to take up a place at a teacher training college.
I remember two of the 'girls' in the shop by sight, but not names. Apologies for that.
If, Kath, you ever get to see this, you might remember a design called Sunny Manchester: I'll try to post a picture of it.
Cheers. Julian the van driver.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1521037113/crowthers-of-manchester-vintage-dress?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_uk_en_gb_all&utm_custom1=_k_778c2c78e8a01da1c02a4a14a819c54c_k_&utm_content=bing_420373312_1301822126131862_81363956729493_pla-4584963495531218:pla-4584963495531218_c__1521037113engb&utm_custom2=420373312&msclkid=778c2c78e8a01da1c02a4a14a819c54c

I worked at Crowthers boutique. It was owned by John Crowther and his wife. I used to model the outfits sometimes when John was trying to sell to other outlets. I got paid £7 per week in 1968.He also managed a band from Oldham called Barclay James Harvest who turned out to be very popular. Woolly Wolstenholme who played the Melotron in the band used to write letters to me on occasions telling me how famous they were becoming. I still have some of the letters. John apparently died after visiting the dentist, don't think he woke up after the anesthetic??