HOW many Burnley folk can remember Adams Stores in Tunstill Street, better known as the Penny Bazaar, which was the focal point of shopping for almost 20 years?

From 1927 to 1946, the shop epitomised the life of Burnley folk, supplying their needs for work and home.

The shop was named after Sam Adams, a local smallware dealer. In 1914 his business premises were in Montague Road, later Bank Parade. His first shop was in Plumbe Street, one of more than 60 which followed in Lancashire Yorkshire and Cheshire; but the largest of all was Tunstill Street.

Built in 1882, the premises had been used by a joiner, a seamstress and around 1909 as a skating rink. Around 1923 it was converted into a walk-round store and sold to Sam in 1927. For most people it was known as the Penny Buzza.

Tom Simpson was the manager, his wife was also employed there, along with seven others, who worked long hours, 9am until 7pm, apart from Tuesday half day, with wages starting at 10s a week, that's 50p, for 14 year-olds straight from school.

Tom was usually there well before time, so he could stoke up the boiler, a pre-historic monster in the cellar, which sent a sulphurous cloud throughout the store for the first hour.

Apart from Woolworth, the bazaar was the biggest one-floor shop in town, laid out with stalls, those round the side made from maple from the skating rink.

Behind them the staff walked on loose planks and at certain places were Remington cash registers, which says Harry Simpson, of Worsthorne, who has been researching his father's job, were like the one on the TV comedy, Open All Hours and "capable of assaulting the assistants at will."

Harry recalls always being excited when he visited the store, which sold everything for the needs of the day, from 3ft x 3ft carpets, to pins and needles, dolly tubs, dustbins and small wardrobes, which cost 17s-6d, or 87p ! There was also soap, rubber heels, toys, pint pots and weaving tools.

Shopping in the 1920s and 30s was very different from today. Then, every street had its corner shop catering for all needs, while the high street offered specialist shops. Duke Bar was a district shopping area, with two banks, two building societies and a host of stores.

Harry learned from his father that on certain days, people from Harle Syke would catch the tram or, after 1934, the bus, and would buy their wares along Hebrew Road, and Abel Street and often finish up at the bazaar.

Most of the items on sale came from Sam's warehouse, although Christmas goods, fireworks and carpets came from either Accrington and Stockdale's of Burnley.

Some stalls were cleared for the fireworks and bags were made up, each sold with a raffle ticket to win a Guy Fawkes that dad made, with its pockets stuffed with fireworks.

"I remember going to deliver it to the winner on one occasion when we had a motorbike and sidecar. The guy was stuffed in the sidecar and I rode pillion. We presented the happy family with a real treat."

After bonfire night one central stall became the Christmas display, with all kinds of toys, such as farmyards, jigsaws, boxes of soldiers and castles. Does anyone remember, like Harry, explosive fruit', plastic shapes which gently exploded when the fuse was lit to reveals games and gifts inside?

When war was declared in September, 1939, bonfire night was cancelled and fireworks impounded by the police, although Christmas seemed much the same, although it would be one of the last for the bazaar, when goods became limited and displays restricted.

"By mid 1940, the shop was divided into half with a makeshift partition, as items became scarce, but the bazaar came into its own when the Home Guard was formed a lack of rifles, led to the local men clearing the shop of broom handles for rifle drill!" revealed Harry, while black-out material also sold out.

As Harry grew older he did jobs around the store, weighing starch and soda, which were both delivered in 112lb sacks and cleaning its windows. He then made deliveries until he was 16 and the store closed its doors in 1946.

He added: "But the shop had one last moment of exuberance VE day in May 1945. All the fireworks were brought back from the police station and street parties bonfires and firework displays were the order of the day. On the day of sale there was a queue nearly 100 yards long waiting for their bags of fireworks, with a sergeant and two policemen maintaining light-hearted control. It was the last fling of the bazaar, for within a few months it had close, What the war hadn't managed, common sense and economic reality did.

"The size of the shop, plus the necessary alterations and limited goods meant that it transferred to a corner shop on the corner of Colne Road and Hurtley Street, where it survived for many years, before becoming a takeaway!"