Tuesday 29 October 2019

Cupboard Love

Growing up in Dereham in the 1960s, many of my schoolfriends had family members working at the local Jentique Furniture Factory. Set up in 1936 by Geoffrey Bowman Jenkins, the factory was bought out by another local businessman, Bernard Smart, just before WW2 [Smart owned "Metamec Clocks" - one of the other factories in the town] Both factories are gone now, housing estates where the works used to be. The name Metamec is still in use by a small firm in Derbyshire.
I liked Jentique furniture [not that my family could ever afford it] It had that sleek, Danish appearance, now often called "Mid-century styling " - and Jentique pieces of that era sell for high prices- apparently in the USA, people will pay $1000 dollars for a 1960s Jentique sideboard!

It was a little disappointing therefore to see a suite of furniture in The Range recently, bearing the name "Dereham"
It was so dull, and clunky, and not made with the craftsman's care of the original Dereham furniture. Mr Bowman Jenkins, and Mr Smart would be so disappointed, don't you think?

2 comments:

  1. World War " ??? Haha, you held down the Shift button as you typed that!
    I agree that the first furniture is beautiful. Comparatively, the Range furniture is generic & boring.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Kezzie. Typo duly corrected

    ReplyDelete

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