Joe bids a fond farewell as Elliotts shuts up shop
AUGUST 31 will mark the end of an era when a business which has been an ever present in the life of most Coventrians closes its doors for the final time.
Elliotts Car Accessories is shutting-up shop at the end of this month after more than 60 years helping Midland motorists modify their vehicles.
Planning permission was granted to build more than 160 new apartments on the site at the junction of Gulson Road and London Road.
While it may well be missed by many, the man behind it all says he is far from sad and admits it has ‘run it course.’
Joe Elliott transformed a family garage business from the 1960s onwards, after spotting a gap in the market which proved very lucrative.
Small and affordable cars like the Mini, Ford Anglia and Triumph Herald were starting to be mass produced but sometimes they lacked even the most basic creature comforts.
Reflecting on the rise of Elliotts under his leadership, Joe said, “I was lucky. I left school in 1958, went into Elliotts, which at that time was a petrol station and a small shop selling bicycles and motorcycles - the main dealer for Royal Enfield.
“In 1960 the Mini, Triumph Herald and Ford Anglia had come out.
“The Mini was an economical car owned by families and young people.
“But they came out with nothing on.
“A Mini hadn’t even got proper door handles and mirrors.
“The seats were like concrete and the steering wheel was like a lorry’s.
“In 1960-61 I could see this coming. I could see there was an opening.
“I went to London to motor shows for the main accessories and I managed to get the dealerships for Coventry.
“We had every product in stock for people who wanted to do up their Mini, Herald or Anglia.
“We sold steering wheels, more comfortable seats, exhausts and more besides.
“Everything you could think of came into play.”
Joe added: “Elliotts was in a good place, we had plenty of parking.
“The shop was always crammed full. People used to call it an Aladdin’s cave.
“We told people through the Coventry Telegraph and Citizen and used to advertise heavily and people came to us in their tens of thousands.
“People used to say, if you can’t get it at Elliotts you can’t get it anywhere.
“That was the secret of Elliotts.
“We built up a massive stock base through the years and based our business on fairness and price.”
Joe sold the business to Oscott’s in 2003 and since then it had a succession of owners, with many of them going to the wall.
Joe was asked to return on a consultancy basis by the landowner in 2015, and was happy to oblige.
Ultimately he feels the reason for Elliotts’ demise is the changing nature of the automotive world.
Cars now come fully equipped, with little or no need to accessorise.
“Cars have got everything these days,” he said.
“The industry is on its last legs and the right thing is happening.
“It has been a lot of fun along the way, I have loved every minute of it.
“Am I sad it is coming to an end? No.
“A car accessories shop is no longer the flavour of the retail world. It needed to happen.
“I enjoyed my time back there, I have given it a good shot.
“It was going okay but it is definitely on the wane and really the time came for the owner to look at doing something else.
“He had an offer from Ranier Developments , which he accepted.
“A decision was made by us that Elliotts should close down.
“The fact the developers, who are lovely people to work with, are coming in and providing residential opportunities for young business people means the Elliotts site will be performing good things in the future.”
As an example of how things have changed Joe cited the example of Duckhams 2050, a brand of oil that was once used by virtually everyone.
He said: “You could