A PILLAR of the Hindhead retail community since 1953 is set to shut up shop and
A true family business, house clearing specialists Cooper Brothers will close its doors on on Tuesday, July 25, and reopen at Mill Lane Farm on Tuesday, August 1.
Now run by brothers Alan, Stephen and Jonathan, Coopers was launched by their father Frank, who took over the lease in 1953, and their uncle, Len.
Frank bought the property in 1955 and he and his brother started out running a tea room and transport cafe there.
Business was brisk, and the two brothers went on to open another cafe, Hillcrest, just up the old Portsmouth Road on land leased from the National Trust. But the building caught fire and burned to the ground.
Changing tack in 1968, the duo opened a bakery, and were soon supplying all the hotels and cafes in the area, before switching to house clearances in 1972.
“Our dad and uncle worked exceptionally long hours,” Alan said. “All three of us helped out when we were old enough. I was 12 when I started in the bakery making doughnuts and ice cream.
“The cafes they started did well, because they were at the half way point between London and Portsmouth.
“I worked as an engineer until I was 40. When dad decided to hand the business over, me and my brothers decided we would work together to keep it going. Frank died in 2001 and Len died in 2004.
“Sometimes we don’t agree, but generally we get on all the time. But there are none to follow on from us. Both my sons have got good jobs. I think this is an older generation thing.”
The brothers sold the site as a potential development of three houses and eight flats, but that changed subsequently to proposals for eight new homes, which are yet to be approved.