Book marks 40 years of shopping at Afflecks
FORTY years of trade at Manchester’s Afflecks is celebrated in a book of photographic portraits by Rochdalian Paul Wolfgang Webster, with text by Jonathan Schofield.
Paul Wolfgang Webster, lensman and owner of Wolfgang Webster Gallery in Cheadle Hulme, has captured the faces of 40 individuals.
These range from Peter Hook, the former bassist of Joy Division and New Order and Elbow frontman, Guy Garvey, to Liquorice Black, an artist and performer.
There are also shop owners, business leaders and others who, between them, have shopped for and sold anything from a tattoo service to vintage clothes and shoes besides much else.
Two such shop owners are Jason Guy and Ian Welham who both run Gay Pride Shop, consisting of 11 retail units in Afflecks.
The LGBTQ community is well served by the indie store where being yourself, without feeling prejudice or stigma, is highly desired and makes for a welcoming and safe shopping experience.
Another shop owner, Kim Taylor, who previously worked in a Rochdale menswear store, runs Charms &
Hummingbirds. Here you can purchase trinkets and fashion items.
Indeed, the late Joe Strummer, vocalist for The Clash, bought a shirt while Debbie Harry of Blondie picked up a silver skull ring.
Afflecks, situated in the Northern Quarter, is a large building with numerous retail units enabling visitors to seek out items that do not necessarily exist in mainstream shops.
I recall a visit in the 1980s. Formerly known as Affleck’s Palace, the emporium was an exciting place to be, selling items that were new or secondhand. Pin badges, posters, leatherwear and jewellery competed for sales.
All photographs are in colour, many of them using the contrast between light and dark to bring out the best of each sitter.
Most portraits are intimate, the distance between the sitter and photographer being smaller than you would expect compared to a more formal viewpoint. The print quality of the reproductions is good, revealing very colourful settings and individuals.
The book is wrapped in pink tissue paper and costs £30.It is published by Manchester Books Ltd ( www.mcrbooks.co.uk ). It’s available to purchase online at afflecks.com.