Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Shoppers needing a donkey jacket or a perm went to Dundee’s Keiller Centre in 1984
Nostalgia for venue that had 60 varied units
ALL That Glitters, Best Wishes, The Capital Meat Centre and Charlie’s Heel Bar were all options for shoppers in a Dundee arcade.
They were just some of the shops in the Keiller Centre 40 years ago, which promised “all your family needs under one roof”.
All are guaranteed to leave a certain generation of Dundonians feeling nostalgic for a shopping mall that opened in 1979 and expanded to 60 individual units by 1984.
Also on offer were Gee Fabrics, Jacanoni’s, Magic Eye Video Hire and The Cursor Keys.
An Evening Telegraph advertising feature in 1984 triumphantly said Dundee could now boast one of the “most attractive one-stop shopping centres to be found anywhere”.
The Centre Food Hall was run by Spar. Among its stock 40 years ago were “wines and spirits, tins of soup, vegetables, fruit, tea and coffee, and pet foods”.
A delicatessen offered homemade meat loaf “on special offer at 25p per quarter”.
Housewives’ Choice featured curtains and towels and shelves stacked full with duvet covers, sheets and “valances in a bewildering array of colour and pattern”.
A pair of oven gloves was suggested as a “useful gift for anyone starting up home”.
You would find everything for the motorist at Car Care Products with a full set of car seat covers at £13.65 and “four cars available for giving driving instruction”.
The Dundee FC shop sold “hats, scarves, badges and photographs of your favourites”. Programme collectors could pick up “old issues of Dundee matches”.
Cornloft stocked “everything from vitamin supplements to goat’s milk” which cost 35p. The shop’s other lines included cold meats, cheeses, wines and sherries.
British Beef was the place for steak, pork and lamb “almost straight from the animal”.
In 1984 the biggest bulk deal was £5.50 where you could buy 1lb mince, 1lb sausages, 1lb bacon, 1lb frying pork, four gammon steaks and two chicken portions.
Kydd’s stocked a wide range of small items. They included cosmetics, perfumes, toiletries and razor blades at bargain rates along with “a hundred and one other things”.
Thistle Carpets were offering “special carpeting suitable for the kitchen” which “cleans more easily and resists dirt and liquid spills” at £3.55£7.99 the square yard.
Fashion was all the rage at Perry’s. You could buy “fancy jumpers” for £6.99 and “donkey jackets” at £12.99 among the women’s range. That also included “baggy jeans” at £12.99.
Leather and Crafts sold mugs and plates, leather handbags and framed pictures. While “everything for the home dressmaker” was available at Gee Fabrics. They stocked a “wide range of haberdashery” and performed alterations and repairs.
Jacanoni’s sold knickerbocker glory, banana split, hot choc ripple and ice cream in the colours of Dundee and Dundee United.
Best Wishes was the place for cards for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births and engagements alongside cuddly toys, wedding cake decorations and horseshoes.
Excess can best describe hair trends in the 1980s.
This was the decade when hair went supersized with crimps, perms and highlights.
There was also the power ponytail. The Classics salon in the Keiller Centre would “do the needful” for those needing
attention “be it a straight-forward trim or a more expensive styling”.
A perm was £10 or £11.50 with a cut.
There were special rates for senior citizens MondayWednesday at the unisex salon, where a shampoo and set would cost £2.20 and a perm £5.50.
The Magic Eye Video Shop stocked 4,500 films and 1984 was a great year for movies including Beverley Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Gremlins and The Karate Kid.
You could hire one film per night for £1.
The Cursor Keys Home Computer Centre was one of the latest additions where “computers, software, games, tapes and a wide selection of books” were available.
The Sweetie Shop was selling holiday rock at 25p and 50p.