History

At the turn of the last century, forward thinking Ernest Fishpool loaned £85 to set up his first shop. Today, over a hundred years and several changes later, the shop is still trading and it's one of the most pivotal retailers in Waltham Cross.

The shop originally sold clothes as well as furniture and business was booming - soon the young 29-year-old needed to find new premises and found them at 162/164 High Street in Waltham Cross - just doors away from today's store.

In fact, it was only a few years later in 1906 when Ernest took over the lease of Fishpools current address 109-115 High Street.

By this time, Ernest had married and had started the family which went on to build up what is now a great family firm.

Ernest's ambitions never floundered and after the World War I he took the company to another level by investing in motorised transport in the form of two old army ambulances which were converted into furniture delivery vehicles.

But it wasn't just the transportation of furniture Ernest was concerned with - it was his customers! To help them to get to Fishpools Ernest offered to pay their tram fares and, when he found enough time, collected them from their homes.

It would seem that the very busy entrepreneur, family man, shop owner and chauffeur would find very little time for anything else... However, Ernest took an active interest in local affairs (one of the things that made him so popular with the people in the area), he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the local Conservative Party.

Both of Ernest's sons, Clarence and Howard joined their father at the firm and made it a real family affair. And when Ernest sadly died in 1934, they continued to ensure that the tradition of providing their customers with the best products and the best service remained.

In 1957, the third generation of the Fishpool family joined the firm. John Fishpool, Clarence's son continued the development of the company and during his time at the store saw many changes including the opening of the New Ford Road warehouse and in 1981, the opening of the Watford branch.

As with the general pace of the eighties, things changed at Fishpools. The Coffee Shop was relocated to its current position on the 1 st Floor, the toy department closed to make way for the lighting department and the second-hand department was transformed into the Budget Shop - but during these changes providing the best for the customers was always at the forefront of the family's mind.

The Leather Centre opened in 1993 and further expansion took place culminating in the addition of 8,000 sq ft of furniture displays - designed to give Fishpools customers the ultimate inspiration to take back to their own homes.

In 1999 Fishpools celebrated its 100 th year of business and still the company's determination to provide an innovative yet accessible range of furniture for everyone.

After proving to be a huge success Fishpools decided to take the budget shop further and created a store in its own right. In August 2002 the Budget & Outlet Shop opened next door to the main store.

Having already established its popularity with Fishpools customers, this arm of the store now took over an amazing 5,000 square feet of space providing amazing bargains including special end of line offers and ex-showroom pieces.

And, unlike many other competitors Fishpools still provide their budget shop customers with all the same benefits that customers at their main stores get - including free local delivery and interest free credit.

With the interest in interiors on the increase Fishpools realised that more space was needed to give the customers the ranges of furniture that they demanded. And in 2004 a major expansion plan was unveiled.

Not withstanding a 4,000 sq ft office development created for the company's 200 plus employees Fishpools also embarked upon a breathtaking 12,000 ft showroom expansion plan.

This extra space on both the ground and first floors of the store meant that existing ranges could be added to and new ranges could be sourced to meet the more discerning shopper's needs.

At ground level the furnishing department grew by an extra 6,000 sq ft as did the first floor bedroom department.

And thankfully the space is there, because at last count, Fishpools stock over 103 styles of sofa, 86 ranges of dining tables and chairs, 72 styles of beds and 38 ranges of bedroom furniture and, as if that's not enough they have thousands of rugs, curtains, mirrors, cookware products and gifts... Phew!

But throughout all the years of trading and the vast amount of changes the store has seen, the Fishpool family continues to provide the people of the region with not only furniture and accessories but inspirational lifestyles... Here's to the next 100 years!

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