Tommy Balls
 

Suprised nobody mentioned this already. The administrators closed it down yesterday and all staff made redundant.

Re: Tommy Balls
 

is that both shops dave? the top one & the one that does the cheaper ones at the bottom ?

Re: Tommy Balls
 

I'm guessing it's all the same owner. I heard it on the way in to work this morning but just found the article on the Blackburn Telegraph site too;

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk...lls_closes.php

Re: Tommy Balls
 

Thats sad, although I'm not surprised. The last few times I have been in I've not found anything that I wanted, and I think it put the prices up alot and couldn't compete with the shops in town.

Wonder what will happen to the building?

Re: Tommy Balls
 

oh ******

Re: Tommy Balls
 

God that's terrible, to be told there and then you are out of a job

For some of them too it will be so hard to find other work, ie if they have done that job most of their life and are of a more mature age

Hopefully they will get the help they deserve

Re: Tommy Balls
 

it wasnt actually Tommy Ball who had it though was it? he died a while ago, they just kept the name on

Re: Tommy Balls
 

Yeah he died 2 months ago, had left and retired in 86 i think it was

Re: Tommy Balls
 

That is right. I am informed that it is owned by the same peop0le who own Byron Supplies - the building supplies company, though I wonder if that company will offer sany of the Tommy Balls staff jobs?

Re: Tommy Balls
 

It seems a shame that what was once one of Blackburns most thriving companies has gone to the wall, I think Tommy's was the first shop of its type to sell shoes cheap. He was a very generous man, in the 80s he used to come in the Great Tree in Hassy every Saturday lunchtime, just to torment te life out of Dale Winfield, and when Tommy drank everybody drank:D

Re: Tommy Balls
 

When it first opened you had to queue up to get in, and there were coach trips to it (like they do to Ossy Mills now)

Re: Tommy Balls
 

my nan used to work for him, he would dump hundreds of shoes in her cellar and she would have to try and make pairs out of them lol that was about 40 years ago

Re: Tommy Balls
 

TB sold his empire several years ago.
It is still sad to see it go though.
I looked after a relative of TB many years ago and TB came on the ward and gave all the nurses a chitty for 3 pairs of shoes....any shoes.....price no object.

Re: Tommy Balls
 

just heard it on the news too

Re: Tommy Balls
 

That is a shame, my mum has always gone there for the kids shoes for school. Clarks shoes at affordable prices, going to struggle now.