
Do you remember Bollom Dry Cleaners?
I was reminded of them when I spotted the shop entrance pictured here in East Street, Bridport. The shop name is emblazoned across the threshold. I have seen this elsewhere and it gives an interesting insight into the history of the premises.
What happened to Bollom’s? Can anyone enlighten me via the comments below?
I remember Bollom dry cleaner as there was one where I lived in Downend, Bristol. The two Bollom brothers were from Bristol and opened their first store in East Street, Bedminster, Bristol in about 1915. They are thought to have invented the dry cleaning process. Bollom was sold to Johnstones dry cleaners and they in turn were taken over by Sketchleys I believe.
Bollom’s became part of the Johnson Group, as did several other large drycleaning companied, Flynns, Smiths, Harris’s, Achille Serre, and others. The Johnson Group aquired Sketchley’s too (not the other way around). Many traded under their original names until the mid 1990’s, when the group decided they would all trade under the same banner. Johnson’s also own Apparelmaster, the commercial laundry hire company, providing workwear and laundry items to commercial institutions, hotels, factories, etc.
Bollom cleaners were bought out by Johnson Group cleaners in the 1960s. They shops continued trading under the Bollom name until the 1990s when Johnson Group changed the name of all their Bollom shops to Johnson. Johnson Cleaners still exists. http://www.johnsoncleaners.com
I was a driver for Bollom. started at horfield rd factory and later moved to Bedminster a new factory