Since Matty
O'Connell started the business, we have continued to grow
and build on his early success. Not much is known about the
early days, but we do have this account, by local historian,
Reg Humphries, writing about Wednesbury Market, in the
1930s:
A
family in Wednesbury, named O'Connell, were
fruiterers. A couple of years ago they
celebrated their 100 years of trading in the
town. I think that I can claim to have played a
minuscule part in that history. I knew a
particular Maggie O'Connell.
She was quite a character and had a voice which
was so loud that, when she offered her wares for
sale in the Market place, the golfers on the
golf course, at the bottom of Ridding Lane,
complained that it put them off their stroke! On
market days, as the selling of fruit and veg
progressed, Maggie, as to be expected, would
acquire quite a few ten bob and pound notes.
The security of these she would ensure by
lifting up her voluminous arrangements of skirts
and pinafores and tuck the notes in the top of
her stockings. Occasionally she would allow us
to help her ? not, I hasten to declare, in
concealing the money - but by running errands
for her or, as I remember, helping her to sell
oranges.
Today, I think, the shine on an orange is
achieved by some waxing process. But Maggie had
her own her own ideas. Oranges were taken out of
their boxes and put into open woven onion bags
and a few pence worth of olive oil, purchased
from the local chemist, was poured over them.
With vigorous agitation, the desired sheen was
produced and we would offer them for sale at
three for a penny.
Just imagine - 3 oranges for a penny! Today that
would mean one new penny would buy eight or nine
oranges. When I try to make that comparison to
my family I am told that I should move with the
times and they point out to me that whilst I
claim that I could buy a suit of clothes from
the Fifty Bob tailors in Wednesbury market place
for ? 2.50. that amount was a week's wages for a
lot of people. |
Times have
certainly changed, but O'Connells still sell oranges.
In fact, we
sell a wide variety of fruit, flowers, bedding plants,
shrubs, gardening supplies and Christmas trees. We are also
more than willing to give help and advice to gardeners
and budding DIY florists.
Today,
O'Connells Florist and Fruiterer is a busy, successful
business, which still holds dear Matty O'Connells principle
of the customer being king.
We attribute
our modern day existence and success to four key facts:
1.
Location:
Situated
in Wednesbury, in the heart of the West Midlands, we are
ideally situated to serve, directly, the whole of the
English "Black Country", with daily deliveries.
2. Quality
Selecting
our produce, locally, every morning, ensures that we
only stock and supply the best quality fresh fruit and
flowers.
3. Staff
Hand
picked, qualified, experienced staff ensure that we
maintain the highest standards
4.
Customers Satisfaction |
