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The Vokins Store logoVokins Family History

The Vokins family started trading in Brighton in 1882, the business being founded by the current Managing Directors Great Grandfather.

In later years the department store in North Street, Brighton was re-branded and became known as The Vokins Store. Big Brand Beds was the name given to the e-commerce division of vokins@home, which had previously traded at several locations in Sussex as Vokins Linens & Beds Superstores.

William Henry Vokins

Vokins family started trading in Brighton in 1882

Born in Leafield, Oxfordshire in 1861, William Henry Vokins left the family home of 200 years for the bright lights of London.

After working as a shop assistant in Peter Robinsons, the famous London store, William Henry Vokins and his friend William Tobit Leeson moved to Brighton in 1882 and opened a drapery shop at 33 North Street. Trading as Leeson & Vokins.

The move to Brighton came as a result of advice given by his physician that the sea air would be beneficial to his health.

Initially he travelled from Brighton to London several times a week to buy stock from the wholesalers. So impressed was the wholesaler with William that he offered him a line credit which enabled him to buy more stock whilst having to visit London less frequently.

 

 

William Henry Vokins continued to trade in Brighton until 1997

The business prospered and expanded, but, in 1925 the partnership was dissolved. William Henry Vokins retained the original premises, which continued to trade in Brighton until 1997. He was still active in the business well into his 80's, working alongside his 2 sons, Howard and Gerald.

Howards two sons, John and Trevor joined the business. John was a merchant specialising in silks and dress fabrics. He went on to open specialist fabric shops in Burgess Hill, Seaford and Worthing. Trevor joined the family having qualified as an accountant.

Geralds son Anthony was yet another merchant and became the Joint Managing Director with Trevor and ultimately the Chief Executive. During there time at the helm, Vokins opened linen and bed specialist branches in Blatchington Road, Hove and Ash Lane, Rustington and a 24,000sq ft bed and furniture store in Sackville Road, Hove. They both worked in the North Street store until its closure in 1997.

 

vokins@home now trade from Ash Lane, Rustington which opened in 1994.

The branches in Hove and Rustington changed name to vokins@home. Vokins remains independently owned and is an active member of AIS (Associated Independent Stores), the largest independent, non food-buying organisation in the UK. Membership ensures that we can compete with the big high street names, by offering a wide selection of merchandise at the most competitive prices.

Our continued combination of great value and first class service has brought us resounding success along the South Coast.

Through our website we aim to extend our level of service and customer loyalty by offering guidance for new purchases, improved product selection, together with advice on caring for your investment.

Vokins now trade from their showroom at 24 The Martlets, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NN under the name of Big Brand Beds. But don't worry, we still offer the same great service and value.


 

A little bit more about the business and the Vokins family

Vokins Delivery Service Started with a Horse & Cart

It's must be comforting for our customers to know that we continue to offer the same great service and values that the Vokins business was built on.

I'm not sure what William Henry Vokins would make of Big Brand Beds, but I know he would love the fact the business continues.

Digging through the archives we came across this picture of our delivery service offered in the early 20th century. The picture is pre 1920. We might have struggled to deliver beds, but didn't the driver and mate look smart!

It reminds me of the time the late Anita Roddick (founder of the Body Shop Empire) visited our store in North Street, Brighton. She said that if she had inherited our business she would have turned the clock back and offered the services as we did back in the day. I sometimes wonder whether we missed a trick not taking her advice. 

Vokins-Delivery-Service-Pre-1920-850

Fast forward to 1970 and we had ceased using horses! Pictured is one of the Vokins Commer delivery vans parked outside the loading bay in Clarence Yard. It's hard to believe but these vans weren't just used to deliver beds, mattresses and furniture. They were often used to deliver goods on appro to our account customers and even parcels as small as a box of handerchiefs. Dispatch was down in the basement and everything was wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. No tape used. When I first started working in the family busines I was sent to dispatch to be taught to wrap a parcel properly, with no sharp edges!

Vokins Van 1970

Things are very different these days. We deliver to most parts of the UK and in some cases offer a next day service, even up to Scotland. Not bad for a business in Sussex that started with a horse and cart.


 

Vokins celebrate 125 years trading

The Vokins family have been trading successfully in Sussex since 1882, when my Great Grandfather opened the first shop in Brighton.

Vokins 125 AnniversaryIt is incredible to think that 125 years later, the business and in particular, the Vokins name is still on the high streets of Sussex. For this, we have to thank all of our customers, past and present.

For 15 days we will be promoting a 125 Year Anniversary Sale. Our Design and Marketing team have reworked an original logo and image from 1920, when the store was trading in North Street, Brighton under the name of Leeson & Vokins.

As the promotion of beds, bed frames, folding beds, mattresses, quilts, duvets, pillows and bedding progresses, we will add copies of any advertisements we run to this article. 

We are very proud of our heritage and continue to trade with the same high standards and values that my Great Grandfather, William Henry Vokins demanded during his time at the helm.

Vokins 125 AnniversaryOur suppliers have been extremely good to us and we have some amazing offers on Silentnight beds, Silentnight mattresses, Sleepeezee mattresses, Fogarty hollowfibre quilts and

pillows, Die Zudecke goose down duvets, Dorma quilt covers, Beldorm bedding and much more.

All of the offers are backed with stock, so there is no waiting for your bed or mattress to be ordered. We can deliver your goods locally almost within the week.

All of the offers are available at all of the vokins@home stores, with the exception of cushions, whcih we do not stock in Newhaven.

We look forward to welcoming you to one of our stores soon.


125th Anniversary Sale

Vokins 125 AnniversaryTo celebrate this anniversary we are having a very special 125th Birthday Sale of beds, mattresses, bed linens, quilts, pillows etc, starting on Saturday 10 March for 15 days only.

We have been very fortunate that several of our main suppliers have supported this event with outstanding offers, some of which are listed below.

These will only be available from stock for immediate delivery until SATURDAY 24TH MARCH.

  • ULTRA 3 PIECE SUITES – HALF PRICE
  • SILENTNIGHT MATTRESSES – HALF PRICE
  • SLEEPEEZEE POCKET SPRUNG MATTRESSES – HALF PRICE
  • PLAIN DYED PERCALE SHEETS – HALF PRICE
  • LUXOR EGYPTIAN COTTON TOWELS – HALF PRICE
  • CONTINENTAL QUILTS – HALF PRICE
  • PILLOWS – HALF PRICE
  • QUILT COVER SETS – HALF PRICE
  • ALL CUSHIONS – HALF PRICE

To quote the founder, my Great Grandfather, these not to be repeated offers: 

“……will make this sale the most talked of event in Sussex.” Stephen Vokins

All items are available at all 3 branches except cushions which are not available at Newhaven.


W. H. Vokins Sale 1932

Vokins Sale Letter 1932This is a letter that my Great Grandfather sent out to Vokins customers in October 1932 to promote the 50th anniversary of the business.

We tend to think of direct mail as a relatively new advertising medium, but clearly it was alive and well at Vokins 75 years ago.

However today when vokins@home and Big Brand Beds advertise our beds, mattresses, goose down duvets, pillows and bedding we have full colour printed brochures, which we send to our customers, not beautifully written letters.

October 1932

Madam,

It is my privilege and pleasure to announce that 1932 marks the 50th anniversary of the foundation of this establishment.

The task of helping to build up this business from one small shop to its present size has been a happy and agreeable one.

I want, personally, to thank customers (old and new) for their support in this enterprise, and for the pleasant business relationship which continues to exist.

To commemorate the “JUBILEE” we are having a very special 50th Birthday Sale commencing Oct 31st, and continuing until November 12th, during which period the bargains offered will include New Seasons & Xmas Goods at reduced prices, together with many exceptional offers which will make this Sale the most talked of event in Sussex .

Yours faithfully

W H Vokins

 


History of the Vokins Stores Advertising 1880's - 1890's

Over the coming months we’ll be putting together a timeline of adverts used by Vokins.

Originally founded in 1882, the Leeson & Vokins partnership traded from a shop in North Street Brighton, just down from Ship Street. Over the coming years further freehold properties were purchased in Brighton.

The Leeson & Vokins partnership was dissolved in 1924. By the mid 1930’s several of the properties had been knocked together to form one large department store. The trading name W H Vokins Limited was first used in 1937. It remained in use until Vokins Limited as a company became available in 1983.

The North Street store closed in January 1997. David Vokins went on to run the successful furniture centre that the family had opened in 1985 and closed in February 2015. Stephen Vokins took over running the linens and beds stores in Hove and Rustington, which continue to trade today.

We still pride ourselves on our independence, service and expertise. After all, we have a fine tradition to follow.

Advertising

The first advert / advertorial that we still have record of was one placed in Progress, a monthly magazine announcing the annexation of premises, 32-33 North Street, Brighton opening of new departments and showrooms on the ground floor. This dates back to 1886.

Vokins advert 1886

The first Sale Advert we have dates from May 1894. The strap line is ‘Sale of an Entire Stock of Drapery’. My Great Grandfather William Henry Vokins had purchased the entire stock from the trustees of Henry Sturt to be offered at exceedingly low prices to affect a speedy clearance. The sale started on Wednesday 16th May 1894. The advert states ‘All parcels delivered Free by our new Vans’. I particularly like the line ‘A VISIT OF INSPECTION is most Respectfully Solicited’

Vokins advert 1894

28th June 1895 sees the ‘Great Clearance Sale’ previous to extensive alterations. Once again a polite call to action strap line is included. An Early Call is most Respectfully Solicited

Vokins advert 1895


 

2004 Vokins Sponsor SCCC Gala Lunch

vokins@home, the specialist bed, mattress, bedding, linens, duvets, pillow and furniture retailer are delighted to be sponsoring the Sussex County Cricket Club Gala Celebration Lunch at the Corn Exchange, Brighton on Friday 26 March 2004.

vokins@home sponsor Sussex County Cricket ClubWelcome to the Sussex County Cricket Club’s Celebration Lunch. We have all waited a long time for this occasion, but the glorious summer of 2003 saw Chris Adams and his team achieve what a great number of those present this lunchtime tried for so long to do......they won the Frizzell County Championship.

This is a celebration sponsored by vokins@home and everyone here today congratulates the team on the marvellous performance last season. But we are also here in a nostalgic mood as the Club welcomes nearly one hundred past Sussex players. A great number of those played in the Sussex teams that came so close, but did not quite make it.

When Murray Goodwin pulled a short delivery to the mid-wicket boundary just after lunch on Thursday 18th September 2003, the most remarkable event in the history of Sussex County Cricket had occurred: Sussex had won the County Championship for the first time and to add icing to the cake, Murray Goodwin broke Sussex’s individual batting record with his 335 not out, beating Duleep’s 333 set at Hove in 1930.

Congratulations were received from all around the world, including:

Imran Khan - “I am delighted with the news. Since I am so actively involved in politics I never get to know what’s happening in international cricket, although occasionally I get to talk to John Barclay, who was our captain. Congratulations on the first ever title which when I played was so elusive.”

Tony Greig – “Congratulations to all at Sussex. I am proudly wearing my Sussex cufflinks and tie on this great day.”

David Sheppard – “I send warmest congratulations to Sussex on their great achievement in winning the Championship. It was wonderful to follow their fortunes each day. 2003 saw a very competitive Sussex but also a Sussex that enjoyed the game. Chris Adams told me “It’s been great fun!” That is great – that first-class cricketers can play to win and it can be fun too.”

David Gilbert – “Congratulations of a truly memorable and historic achievement. Enjoy the celebrations!”

David English – “Congratulations from the Bunburys to the team and the brilliant Sussex CCC staff!”

Can it get any better? vokins@home hope so!

2003-2005 Vokins Sponsor Pantomimes

vokins@home, the well known Sussex based retailer of beds, mattresses, duvets, quilts and pillows are thrilled to be sponsoring the Christmas Pantomime, Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Brighton this year. This is the very first time the historic Theatre Royal has had a sponsor for a show.

vokins@home sponsors Panto 2003.jpgThe first stage version of Aladdin was seen in London’s Covent Garden in 1788. This was followed by a comedy musical version of the tale in 1813 starring the famous English clown Joseph Grimaldi. At the time people in Britain were fascinated by China and the Orient and as a result, the story of Aladdin developed into a far more Chinese tale than the original and has remained that way ever since.

Aladdin stars Kevin Kennedy who for many years played the lovable Norman ‘Curly’ Watts in Coronation Street. Initially he was signed for 3 episodes, but was such a hit with the viewers that he stayed on the Street for 21 years.

We got to meet Kevin and the cast at the press launch. He was great company and we sat talking about his first love, football and in particular Manchester City.  I thought this could be an in to supplying them with beds, mattresses, duvets, pillows and bedding as we already supply a lot of the Brighton & Hove Albion players.

The Theatre Royal, Brighton have been wonderful to work with and everyone working for vokins@home has been to the pantomime and had the opportunity to meet the cast and have photos taken with them.

Make sure you visit the show which runs from 11th December 2003 to 18th January 2004 and watch out for the very special offers coming through the post from vokins@home.

vokins@home looks forward to working with everyone at the Theatre Royal for many years to come.
 

The Vokins family have been retailing in Sussex since 1882 and last year the company, vokins@home, who sell beds, bed frames, mattresses, duvets, quilts, pillows and more, took their first steps into sponsoring the annual Christmas Pantomime at the Theatre Royal, Brighton. You’ll see why I used the expression steps later in the article.

vokins@home sponsor Dick WhittingtonRunning from 9th December 2004 through to 16 January 2005 the story of Dick Whittington will be performed and if it is anywhere as good as Aladdin last year, we are in for a real treat.

The first recorded pantomime version of the story of Dick Whittington was in 1814 and starred Joseph Grimaldi as Dame Cecily Suet, the Cook.  The story tells of a poor boy in the 14th century who becomes a wealthy merchant and eventually becomes the Lord Mayor of London because of the ratting abilities of his cat.

Dick Whittington stars “H” from the successful band Steps. Ian ‘H’ Watkins was one of 5 members of the band formed in 1997 that has gone on to sell over 20 million records. The cover version of the Bee Gees “Tragedy” was paired with an original track “Heartbeat” and became Steps signature tune.

As with last year we got to meet the star of the show, “H” at the press release. He also joined everyone that works for vokins@home on an evening out and signed autographs and had photos taken with everyone.

This year we have a great offer for all vokins@home customers, the chance to buy 2 pantomime tickets for the price of one. So if you haven’t been to see a pantomime for years, now is the time with this outstanding offer.

Read what the Brighton Argus think of Dick Whittington

For the third year running vokins@home, purveyors of fine beds, mattresses, bedding, quilts, duvets, pillows and all things for the home are proud to be associated with the pantomime being staged at the Theatre Royal, Brighton.

Vokins@home sponsor Jack and Beanstalk pantomime 2006This year, Jack and the Beanstalk is the show that will entertain you and to celebrate our sponsorship, our customers will be receiving through the post an exclusive 2 for the price of 1 offer when buying tickets for any performances on and between 8th – 16th December and 10th – 15th January 2006. They will also receive a very special discount on purchases of beds, mattresses, bed frames, duvets, quilts, linens, bedding, furniture and more made in any of our stores for a limited period. Full details will be in amailing coming to you soon.

Jack and the Beanstalk is an English folktale about a young lad living with his widowed mother. Their only means of income is a cow and when the cow stops milking, Jack is sent to the market to sell her. On the way to the market he meets an old man who offers to give him "magic" beans in exchange for the cow and the rest is pure pantomime.

This year’s star is Twiggy who became internationally known as the world's first supermodel. Born Lesley Hornby, her waif like figure, boyish hair cut and striking eye lashes she created an image that would epitomise an era. Twiggy became the idol for millions of teenage girls of the sixties revolution.

Twiggy was carefully guarded by her Manager/Husband so the vokins@home team had little access to her, unlike the time we had with Curly Watts and H from Steps.

Read the Argus review of Jack and the Beanstalk

2013 Mr Selfridge The Mini Series, Mr Vokins & Big Brand Beds

The Mr Selfridge story is not dissimilar to the Mr Vokins story. My Great Grandfather, William Henry Vokins opened his store in Brighton in 1882, having worked at the Peter Robinson department store in Oxford Street London.

Mr Vokins age 21Born in Oxfordshire in 1860, four years before Harry Gordon Selfridge, William Henry Vokins’ physician recommended the sea air for his repertory problems, so he moved to Brighton. They weren’t that severe as he lived until 1955!

Like Selfridges, Vokins started out as a fashion store and general drapers and had been trading successfully in Brighton for 27 years when Selfridges opened in 1909.

William Henry Vokins was joined in the business by my Grandfather, Gerald Vokins at the end of the 1920’s.

Vokins was to thrive during the War years as they invested heavily in stock items that would become in short supply and demand was high. The Vokins philosophy was ‘the customer is always right’, a quote often attributed to Harry Selfridge.

My father Anthony joined the business in the late 1950’s, shortly after the death of the founder.

Like Selfridges, Vokins diversified into selling other products and soon had the finest bedding and soft furnishing department in Brighton. These household departments were to be joined by carpets, beds, mattresses, furniture and much more.

Stephen Vokins joined the business in 1977 and then went to work for John Lewis in Oxford Street, London between 1978-1983; one hundred years after William Henry Vokins left Oxford Street.

Unlike Selfridges, the Vokins Store in North Street, Brighton was to thrive under 4 generations of the family, before finally being sold in 1996, when Anthony retired.

Stephen Vokins continued trading and still does, from Ash Lane, Rustington and now on the internet. The company was rebranded as vokins@home, with the e commerce division trading as Big Brand Beds.

We will follow the Selfridges series with interest and see how many similarities there are between the two families. There will be many, I’m sure, some of which I might not be able to admit to. Watch this space for updates.

Episode 1

I thoroughly enjoyed the programme although one or two critics were left dissappointed. My main problem with the show is the never ending adverts! Anyway, as I have said previously, I will be following the series and seeing  how similar the life and times of Mr Harry Selfridge and Mr William Henry Vokins were.

Interesting to see that Mr Selfridge was left high and dry by his financial backer, Mr Samuel Waring, he of Waring & Gillow fame, the furniture makers. In 1980 Waring and Gillow joined with the cabinet making firm Maple & Co, to become Maple, Waring and Gillow, However in his cavalier way, Harry Selfridge didn’t let this minor problem hinder him and he stormed ahead and opened his store on time.

Like Harry Selfridge, William Vokins also went into business with an equity partner. In 1882 they opened a drapery store, Leeson & Vokins  at 33 North Street, Brighton. Mr W T Leeson stayed with Mr Vokins until 1925 when the partnership was dissolved.

William H Vokins family photo 1912Clearly Selfridges was and is a much bigger and grander store than the Vokins store ever was or has been, but the path that these 2 entrepreneurs took have many similarities. The photograph on the right is of William Henry Vokins, his wife Emily Clara and my Grandfather Gerald Vokins taken in 1912, a couple of years after Selfridges opened.

Initially, Leeson & Vokins traded very much from hand to mouth. William Vokins travelled to London several times a week to buy merchandise for his store. This was all paid for in cash. After several months, the proprietor of the wholesaler, who was very impressed by the young Vokins’ endeavour, offered him a line of credit. This gave him the chance to buy ever more stock and reduce his costly and time consuming trips to London.

With more stock, William Vokins had to use his home for storage, something he would continue to do for many years. If he found a bargain, he would invest heavily and if there wasn’t enough room to store it at the shop, then it would be kept at home.

I think William Henry Vokins would be very pleased to know that all his hard work is continued today by his family in the form of vokins@home and Big Brand Beds.

Sadly I will have to record episode 2, but will be writing regular updates as the series progresses

Episode 2 & 3

Harry Gordon SelfridgeWilliam Henry Vokins, like Harry Selfridge was a merchant, not an accountant. His philosiphy was to make sure there was plenty of stock to satisfy the customers. However, where Selfridge appears to be slightly cavalier and wreckless, WHV adopted a more cautious approach.

We see Mr Crab, Selfridge’s book keeper / accountant worrying about the profitability of the business as he continues his quest for profile for his business with evermore extravagance.

As with any new business, the first few months can prove challenging and it is evident that Mr Selfridge (pictured) is inwardly concerned at the lack of customers in his magnificent store, even though he puts on a brave facade for his staff.

Securing the plane used by Monsieur Bleriot, the first ever airplane to cross the Channel, to display in the store seems to be a stroke of genius as the exhibition draws in a huge number of potential customers.

Vokins 1925Vokins have never had anything quite so grand on display to draw the customers, but in my time working for the family, which started in 1974 with a school holiday job, I can remember having a Mini in the window. We also had an outside broadcast (by what was then Southern Sound radio station) from our window. My favourite going back 30 + years was having a model sit in a chest style deep freeze, with nothing but a Slumberdown goose down duvet to keep her warm.

I have to say all the promotions worked very well, but the combination of pretty girl and goose down duvets was the most original.

In Episode 3 we see evidence of Harry’s womanising. I couldn’t possible comment on whether my Great Grandfather had extra marital liaisons. However times were very different then and wives appeared to be very much more tolerant. Goodness knows why?

Mr Selfridge’s introduction of a perfumery and cosmetics department to the front of the store and relocation of lady’s accessories to be with the perfumery is something that is still practised today. When Vokins introduced the perfumery department into our store in North Street, Brighton, it was positioned at the very front of the store.

The picture above shows the interior of one of the Vokins fashion halls taken sometime before 1925.

Episode 4 & 5

I’m not sure if Vokins have ever courted celebrity in the way that Harry Selfridge did. To my knowledge we have never paid a star to be present in store, but the list of actors, actresses, footballers, cricketers that have visited the stores as customers or otherwise is enormous.

We did employ Pauline Collins, the star of Shirley Valentine and more recently Quartet to do the voice over’s for a radio advertising campaign. I remember travelling to the studio in London to meet her and how incredibly professional she was, delivering what we wanted almost immediately.

At the time we were promoting Vokins Linens & Beds Supercentres and the ranges of bedding, divan beds, duvets and upholstery that we sold. Pauline Collins voice was very recognisable and we got tremendous feedback from our customers.

Vokins Carnival Float 1923In episode 5 we see Mr Selfridge has bought a motor car to put on display in a window. He is incredibly proud of his new toy, but it ends in disaster.

In 1923 William Henry Vokins entered a large float into the Brighton Carnival, which several employees travelled on through Brighton. This was an early example of Vokins using different forms of media to promote the business.

Mr Vokins put a motor car in one of his window displays, but nothing as grand as the Selfridge’s car. It was Mini which one of our customers could win. I can’t remember the exact details of the promotion, but it caused quite a stir and no one drove off in it in a drunken rage!

Nowadays our promotions are very much more merchandise led without the gimmicks. When we promote Die Zudecke Canadian White Snow Goose Down duvets, we don’t put models wrapped in duvets in freezers anymore. We promote the great service and great prices we offer.

Episode 6 & 7

Episodes 6 and 7 start to show a marked difference between Harry Gordon Selfridge and William Henry Vokins. Like Mr Selfridge, Mr Vokins was a great caring boss, but expected loyalty and hard work. He did not however court publicity like HGS.

As mentioned in the blog for episodes 4 & 5, we had our share of celebrity in the store and we did have a car on display in the window. Fortunately it was never driven as due to strict insurance clauses, the fuel tank was near empty.

It was interesting to see that after his accident Harry had many flashbacks to his father, who he appeared to have had a bad time with. He wasn’t the war hero that Harry’s mother had portrayed him as, but a rather aggressive bully, who liked the bottle and the ladies.

VokinsWell William Henry Vokins father, Henry Vokins (my Great Great Grandfather) had a colourful life. Well at least what I know of it. He was born into a privileged life, but his excesses would cause him to lose the lot. He became involved with the local County Set and as a result of imprudent living and gambling debts, was forced to sell the family estate, which we know had been in the family since the 1700’s.

It was at this time that William Henry Vokins moved to London to start his career in retail.

William Henry Vokins’ successes in Brighton as a retailer enabled him to buy the family home back in the 1920’s. Unfortunately Henry Vokins died in 1919 aged 87 and wasn’t alive to see this happen. When WHV died in 1955 aged 94, he left the property and land to his 2 daughters, as the retail business was left to his 2 sons.

Sadly I have no knowledge of the relationship WHV had with his father, but would conclude that the relationship had broken down.

Attached are photographs of the main family home, taken during the 1930’s, 1945 and 2012, when I was invited to visit by the current owners, non less than W G Grace’s Great Great Grandson.

Since our family owned the property, the land has been hived off and dwellings sold off. However it was lovely to see one of the houses was called The Vokins.

Episode 8 & 9

FW Woolworth comes to town in episode 8. Having a hugely successful business in America, he opens his first store outside the USA in Liverpool in November 1909. His appearance in London clearly rattles Harry, but prompts him into a highly successful Mid Season Sale.

It’s interesting to see an upmarket establishment such as Selfridges go head to head with a thrupence and sixpence (3d & 6d) fixed price store. In todays money 3d is 1.25p and 6d is 2.5p. Clearly Harry wanted Selfridges to appeal to all.

Vokins bedding hallMeanwhile, back in Brighton, William Henry Vokins main competition was Hanningtons. Smith Hannington opened his drapery shop at the bottom of North Street Brighton in 1808, so was well established when Leeson & Vokins opened in 1882.

We were to remain close business rivals until the store closed in 1996. Close in terms of proximity – a hundred yards and working together for the greater good of Brighton and the local community.

The Vokins Sales became a firm favourite with the people of Brighton & Hove. The Winter Sale and Summer Sale would attract enormous queues, with people racing in to get the bargains. The bedding hall, pictured right (1972) in the basement was always extremely popular, with lots of cheap beds, cheap mattresses and cheap bedding and bed linen. It was always the time to buy and you can see from the picture how the stock was piled high.

We have carried on that tradition and now can offer year round great value on any beds, mattresses, duvets, pillows and bedding online.

Episode 10

Well, it all happened in Episode 10. King Edward VII’s shopping spree, romances blossom and end, a key member of staff leaves and a humiliating trip to the theatre.

Great Grandfather meets the Duke & Duchess of YorkThroughout the series I have been trying to look at the similarities between Harry Selfridge and his business and my Great Grandfather, William Henry Vokins. There have been many in episodes 1 through to 9. However the similarities between our family and the Selfridges in episode 10 are more tenuous.

Let’s start with royalty. We have had minor Royals visit our store in Brighton, but not for a shopping spree. Several members of my family have been privileged to meet Royalty. In April 1928 my Great Grandfather met the Duke & Duchess of York (pictured right), the Duke who was later to become King George VI, the current Queen’s father.

Moving forward a hundred years or so after Harry Selfridge’s audience with King Edward VII, I was lucky enough to be introduced to HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh in 2007.

Over 130 years, you are bound to have key members of staff leave and Vokins was and would have been no different to Selfridges in that regard.

Steven Vokins meets Queen Elizabeth IIWe have never been the subject of a play, but vokins@home and Big Brand Beds have been very involved with the theatre, particularly the Theatre Royal in Brighton. vokins@home and Big Brand Beds were the first company to get involved in sponsoring productions and had the pleasure of being involved in (sponsoring) 4 pantomimes and Sweeny Todd starring Jason Donovan.

I told you it was tenuous, but I hope you have enjoyed reading a few snippets of the history of Vokins and Big Brand Beds.

We continue to trade from our store in Burgess Hill and are continually growing our online offer on bigbrandbeds.co.uk.


Mr Selfridge & Mr Vokins – Series 3 Episode 1

It’s just after WW1 and Harry Selfridge has a wedding to sort out.

Similarly, albeit a few years later Mr & Mrs Charles Kingston and William Henry Vokins had the wedding of Gladys Kingston and William Howard Vokins to arrange. Howard as he was known had served as a Captain in France during the war years.

The Selfridge wedding was a rather quiet affair due to the recent passing of Harry’s wife Rose. The Vokins wedding, on the other hand was very much a society affair, with hundreds of members of the general public turning out to wish the happy couple well.

WHGV & GK Wedding 900 18.10.27

Unlike Selfridge, the wedding party was not held in the Vokins department store but 200 yards away in the Royal Pavilion, Brighton’s most famous building. Like Rosalie Selfridge and Serge De Bolotoff they honey mooned in the South of France.

The following is taken from newspaper reports of the wedding held on Tuesday 18th October 1927.

“The marriage celebrations were attended by close upon five hundred people and a spirit of real sincerity and friendship prevailed. Great interest was taken in the union between two well known families. The ceremony, which was crowned with brilliant sunshine, took place at the parish church of St Peter’s, Brighton. This gave the greatest satisfaction to the crowds waiting outside the church hoping to see something of the ceremony which has aroused wider and deeper interest than any wedding held in Brighton for a very long time.

A reception was subsequently held at the Royal Pavilion, where some five hundred guests responded to the invitation to be present. The company were received in the grand corridor by Mr & Mrs Charles Kingston. Refreshments were served in the Banqueting Room and South Dining Room, and the Saloon was reserved for lounging purposes. The wedding presents were on view in the North Dining Room.

A Thé Dansant rounded off a most enjoyable occasion. Mr & Mrs Howard Vokins, afterwards, left amid a shower of rose petals for their honeymoon en route for the South of France.”

Howard went on to take over from his father in heading up the Vokins business.

Times were very different then and I often wonder what they would have made of retailers selling fashions, bedding, beds, mattresses and drapery online and in some cases without a high street shop front. Unthinkable I guess.

However, we do and you can enjoy browsing our range of beds, mattresses, duvets and bedding online at bigbrandbeds.co.uk. Even if you choose to buy online, you will still receive the great service that Vokins customers have become accustomed to over the 133 years the family have been trading.

Vokins Wedding October 1927

2015 Royal Connections - Vokins, The Queen & Big Brand Beds

I’HM The Queen at Brighton Marina 31.5.79ve recently found a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II officially opening Brighton Marina on 31st May 1979. Why the interest in this you might ask? Well the curtains that covered the plaque that Her Majesty unveiled were made in the soft furnishing workrooms of Vokins.

At this time the Vokins family had a department store in North Street, Brighton and a linens, beds and soft furnishings store in Blatchington Road, Hove. We’d always been considered to be one of the best furnishing stores in the county, keeping a very large stock of curtains and furnishing fabrics.

28 years later, I was lucky enough to meet Her Majesty during a visit to Brighton. In 2007, the Theatre Royal was celebrating the 200th Anniversary and I was a member of the Anniversary Committee that was introduced to HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Queen Stephen Vokins 2007

We were delighted to be asked to make the curtains for the official opening of such a wonderful project as the Brighton Marina. It was particularly exciting knowing that The Queen was going to open them.

Although the store in North Street Brighton closed in 1997, the Vokins family continue to retail in Sussex with a linens and beds store in Rustington. Founded in 1882, we continue to deliver the same exceptional levels of service to our customers that my Great Grandfather would have expected.

However he might have struggled with the way retail has changed so much and in particular the online store bigbrandbeds.co.uk which offers our range of beds, mattresses, furniture, bedding, duvets and pillows. But hey, that’s progress for you.

How about this for a turn out for a Royal visit to North Street, Brighton in 1900. Picture taken outside Vokins.

Vokins Royal Visit to Brighton 1900 850

William Henry Vokins 18822016 William Henry Vokins honoured with a bus named after him

William Henry Vokins, the founder of our business in 1882 has been recognised for his major contribution to life in Brighton & Hove by having a bus named after him. Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company name every new bus they have after a deceased person that has had a significant influence on the local area.

Vokins busHis name appears alongside such greats as Sir Winston Churchill who went to school in Hove, Isambard Kingdom Brunel who also went to school in Hove between 1816 – 1820 and Rudyard Kipling who came to live in Rottingdean in 1897.

The accolade came in December 2016 when the bus company took delivery of a new 808 Mercedes Wright Streetdeck with the registration SK16 GWM.

At just 21 years old, William Henry Vokins moved to Brighton to start a drapery business in North Street. The business thrived and over the years grew to became a much-loved department store, employing 4 generations of the Vokins family.

Retailing has changed dramatically since William Henry Vokins last stepped foot into his store in Brighton in the 1950’s. He set a wonderful foundation for the business, which continues today, trading under the name of Big Brand Beds (From the Vokins Family. Trusted since 1882).

We still offer the great service that Vokins was famous for from our showroom at 24 The Martlets, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NN.


 

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