Carrs jewellers: How seven generations of the same family have kept Garstang high street ticking for 200 years

It’s now more than 200 years since Carrs Jewellers had its beginnings at Garstang’s weekly Thursday market when James Carr set up stall making and repairing watches and clocks, before returning home in the evening to his wife and family in Chipping. It was James’s wife Mary who dreamed of owning their own establishment on Garstang high street and two centuries and seven generations of Carrs later, that dream is very much alive.

We spoke to the Carr family as part of our #SpendLancashire campaign to throw a light on the shops and businesses keeping the Lancashire economy ticking as we face a cost of living crisis. Nobody has much money but we urge you to support local where you can.

James Carr had started something. His entrepreneurial spirit spread its wings through the areas of Lytham and Chorley with his grandsons and great grandsons establishing their own businesses making and repairing clocks, watches and jewellery. But over time only the one Garstang establishment remained and in the 1950’s after completing his apprenticeship at Leightons in Lancaster, David Carr joined his father, Sam, in the family business and thus began its transformation into what we see today. In the 1980’s Carrs Jewellers continued under the stewardship of David and Damian Carr.

It’s clear that warm family values and service with a smile toward their customers are at the heart of what they do. The shop boasts a range of bespoke services tailored to a community the owners speak so highly of and they genuinely enjoy being a part of the lives of those that surround them. Since its establishment in 1820, Carrs stands more than 200 years later as one of the oldest running independent family businesses in the region – how has it continued to thrive through the seven generations? We spoke to Damian Carr, 54, who now runs the business alongside his brother David Carr 57, and Laura Winnard, 27, who has worked alongside the Carr brothers for 10 years, Originally as a Saturday girl, now store manager, Laura was also keen to explain the passion behind each product they sell at Carrs.

Can you tell me a bit about the history of Carrs and how you manage to keep up with society's constant change?

David Carr said: “The business was set up in 1820, by our great-great-great-grandfather. He was a clockmaker, he set up the business in Garstang and we moved to this premises in 1969. He started off what we are now, quite a busy little firm really, we do bespoke, fine diamond jewelry, trophies for local clubs and we still sell a range of watches too. I think things change, and things develop and we try to move with the times. You have to. But one thing we remain constant with is our care for customers and our care in the creation and crafting of the product. As best as we possibly can we always make sure that whatever it is we’re doing is good, better than good, it’s made with care and love and that’s what sets little businesses like us apart. It matters to us as individuals to get the product rights, to tailor the job right.”

How important is being a part of Garstang’s community to your business?

Laura Winnard said: “What has been nice is through the times we have watched the same families and same groups coming down in generations. So we will do wedding rings and they will come back for christening bracelets for their little ones, and then it goes down through their children. So it’s amazing to be involved with the community and getting to know them, we are as a business so proud to be a part of the Garstang community and wider Lancashire community too.”

David said: “We’re very much involved within the local community in all aspects, whether that's fundraising, supporting local teams and schools, and sponsorship. We help all over and want to get involved in things. We’re nice because we want to be. It's not because it's good for business, we get out of bed in the morning and we love our job. We’re really lucky to do such a nice job that we do and we’re fortunate to have such lovely customers, but it is really nice to be nice. It's not something we have to work hard at, it's just what we are! I think again that's just been bred within the family. We’ve got to keep the economy going, some of the very large companies contribute to society by taxation but it's us that are a port of call for the local schools and sports clubs. The real community aspect in town. This is the case for a lot of independent businesses that we are the first port of call for the community: for money and support so it's very important that what comes around goes around. We support the community and it's important we receive that same support to stay in business. Nobody has a right to have customers come through the door, you have got to do the right thing for the customer.”

What’s it like to work within a family environment? Do you all get on working so closely together?

David said: “The staff here, even the ones who aren’t family members, are treated like family. We’re all really close and enjoy the hustle and bustle of things. Touch wood we get on really really well and its an enjoyable environment - it is what you make it!”

Laura added: “When you add up the total years that our staff has been here, it’s well over 200 years. I started as a Saturday girl and have been here ten years now, I’m a manager here. Damian’s been here for 40 years. A lot of us have been here for a huge part of our lives and it's been so special growing up here together and getting to know the community along the way. It’s a really special thing to be a part of.”

Carrs isn’t an online retailer – is that difficult now we’re in a ‘digital world’, especially since COVID-19?

Laura said: “We’re not an online retailer, it made us quite creative in ways to reach out to our customers and be there for them. Whether it is just answering questions to couples who are planning weddings or people looking for bespoke engagement rings, during the pandemic it made us try different ways to reach out to them and be there for them which were virtual. It was good because we have carried on with that, but it was very difficult and we know that still offering a virtual service is important as we understand not everyone feels 100% comfortable coming back to the shop as much as we’d like to encourage them. We want to be there for our customers however we can.”

David said: “Through the pandemic, we offered a virtual shopping service, when we were allowed to we held ‘virtual shopping trips’ if you will with a click-and-collect service. Through the first lockdown, myself and David kept the fire burning while the rest of the staff were furloughed, trying to offer the best service we could. It's affected everybody, hopefully, we’re just coming out of it now. We’re learning new ways to do things. I think what has happened in the last 20 years or so is that people have definitely specialised more. There are fewer shops selling everything and more businesses focusing on a core product. It's knowing your market, and being honest with yourself and customers about what you’re selling. But the key is good service, service with a smile. The customer service is paramount, you can’t get it on the internet. All local towns, Garstang included, are expanding, it's about us trying to reach out to these new people in the area and say ‘look how great Garstang centre is, come and see what you can get’, it’s a lovely place to work, come and visit because we have got some really great shops where we can offer some really fantastic service. We need to make ourselves open to come and see us!”Carrs jewellers is situated on High Street, Garstang, and can be contacted at 01995 602148 | [email protected]

We have launched the Spend Lancashire campaign to showcase local shops and businesses in the run up to the festive season and beyond. No-one has much money but what we do have, let’s spend at our fantastic local businesses. To get involved email [email protected]