He’s a dedicated follower of fashion
MAIDSTONE author Ian Snowball, whose book Thick As Thieves recalls his reminiscences of The Jam, has been recalling the music and fashion scene of the County Town in the 1980s. These are some of his observations on various locations. Huckles: The only menswear shop that sold Fred Perry, Sta-Press, boating blazers and anything a mod, punk or skinhead needed. Then they supplied the casuals with their Pringles, Farahs and Lois jeans. The shop is now the newsagents opposite Konya Kebab in Week Street. Image: Another menswear shop in the late 80s in Week Street. By this time, it was paisley and floral shirts and pegged trousers. Our Price: One of several record shops then in Maidstone. Always a hub of activity. The original shop was in Week Street opposite Subway. Then a second shop was opened in the Stoneborough Centre, now the Chequers. The Our Price red and white plastic bags were the best to sport around town. Longplayer Records: Another good record shop. One level sold classical music, and the other anything from Abba to Zappa. They also stocked Motown, Stax and an assortment of re-issued rare northern soul records. Their orange bags were not as classy! The Wander Inn: A cafe on the corner of Mill Street (opposite Rootes). This was the place where the young mods would hang out to drink tea. There was a car park at the rear where the scooters could park up. For any young aspiring mod to be seen here with the ‘faces’ was an achievement. Kent Hall: A disco. Under-18s on Monday nights, over-18 on Fridays. In what is now Market Buildings. The music was Chicago house, Beastie Boys and rare groove. Trinity Disco: Inside Trinity Church. Dark, gloomy, cold and a health and safety death zone … But to us it was the place to be on Friday nights. A place of varied music and fashions, and there was always the chance of a slow dance to a Spandau Ballet song in the final 10 minutes.