'Keep business local' is still the message

Published on Wednesday 1 July 2009 09:51

A SIGN on the entrance to Mick Soper's glass works, jewellery and gold store reads 'Keep business local'.

And that's what he has been doing for more than 40 years. Mick was born in St James Terrace, Doncaster, which was demolished in October 1945, the son of Ken Soper who started a picture framing and glass cutting business in Doncaster Market Place in 1946 after leaving the Navy.

"I joined him after leaving school," said Mick. "Don't ask me what my best subject was at school because I didn't have one."

Mick said his dad was a bit bossy but they got on all right. His mother helped in the business too, cutting the glass.

He said: "We had about six apprentices as there was plenty of work and we eventually moved to premises in Cleveland Street…In those days there was no health and safety. We used to carry sheets of glass with newspaper wrapped round the edges. I've only ever had one nasty cut and it needed about 14 stitches."

Sopers' main competitors were Spinks in Kelham Street and when the Cleveland Street shop was required for redevelopment they moved to Bentley. After his father's death Mick ran the company on his own with his wife and pals Phil and Denny.

"The antiques, jewellery and the gold side of the business developed from being a hobby," he added.

"The guy who first got me interested was Jack Green who had a business in West Street, Doncaster. We've had a few nice touches and I'm always surprised at the quality of the items that people bring in."

Mick's wife Angie has been involved with the business throughout their married life and she said: "Ours is very much of a local family business. Mick and myself work just about every day of the week and we still enjoy it tremendously."

n DOZENS of homes and businesses were wiped from the map in the 1960s to make space for the widening of Balby Road.

In the post-war years, the story of Balby Road has been one of decline and decay through the dominance of motorised traffic.

In 1961 there was the Balby Road Compulsory Purchase Order.

The order resulted in the forecourts and gardens of many houses, shops and offices being sacrificed in a road-widening scheme.

Another rather dramatic plan proposed that a road should run at two levels along Balby Road, but the scheme was never carried out because of financial reasons.

Many people may have expected that the opening of the A1 dual-carriageway, during the early 1960s, would relieve not only Balby Road but other town roads.

But, former borough engineer Peter Greaves once said he had predicted what he called the 'suppressed car usage factor' would come into play.

Peter meant that people owning vehicles along and around areas like Balby Road and York Road, did not use them regularly because of the incredible traffic jams they encountered.

But once the A1 was opened they may have assumed that it would be safe to use them more frequently.

Peter's prediction was correct and traffic congestion continued unabated along the roads to and from the town centre.

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'Keep business local' is still the message

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