Take 6 Menswear

[SimonEB]

A trip down memory lane seeing all the posts about the menwear firm 'TAKE 6' I worked for the company as Saturday staff in 1985 after walking up and down Oxford Street going into shops asking for a Saturday job. When I walked into TAKE 6 their flagship store opposite Bond Street station, I asked for the manager and I was introduced to a smart looking gentleman called Phill Spencer, he asked me some questions and he gave me a job! I recall having to water the plants that sat above the shop front between the TAKE 6 sign and the head office windows on the 1st floor, the staff room that the tailor used to work, think his name was Jim...I was often sent as a runner to collect stock from other stores (interbranch transfers) Smith St, Chelsea, Church St, Kensington & Wardor St. Receipts were hand written, using codes for shirts such as "CA" meaning shirts with 'Collar Attached' and having to manually add up the bill. I was ready to leave school at 16 and in 1986 Joe Spencer gave me a full time position in the flagship store on the casual wear department. I met and worked with some great people. Reading other peoples posts have reminded me of their names, window dressers... Phil Gobey, he used to call everyone "Moulder" and Mac. The suit buyer, Joe Wynne, he was a lovely man, beautifully presented, wore a lovely gold Rolex watch. Ivy Brent, beautiful lady, I used to get called to her office above the Bond St shop and change money for her, pounds to pesetas (back in the day) where she would fly off to Spain to be with Sid Brent. I never met Sid, I was told he suffered bad injuries after an IRA bomb blew a pub up near the Natwest Tower and his face was damaged from the glass. Ivy was the boss when I joined the firm. I recall knowing Andrew Brent, I think he was Sid's son, he was the casual shirt buyer, he left some time later and went to be a buyer for a shirt company, the name escapes me... TAKE 6, came to an end when the company was bought out around 1986 to 1960's rival Michael Barrie and the shops were re branded called 'REVIEW' all Michael Barrie and TAKE 6 shops had brand new shop fittings and branded under the new name 'REVIEW' I can close my eyes and remember how the shops looked and loved the little tie hangers that were the TAKE 6 clapper board. Would l9ve to hear back from anyone who used to work there or know or knew the firm and its people. Ps...I bumped into Phill Spence (general manger TAKE 6) many years later at a burial ground where he later worked. He remembered me all thoes years later.

[david small]

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. Nice memories.

[Old_Geezer]

I thought they were an American singing band.

[barry1010]

Bet you didn't think that before you googled it, OG