Old betting shops in the three towns

[canfactory]

Worked in there early 70’s and it was a strange wee building. No security, no alarm and two open counters. It wouldn’t happen these days. Great customers and staff though. It was the only RBS office I worked in where a jotter for messages was kept ‘round the back’. Almost every day somebody would open the door, ask if so-and-so had been in and if they hadn’t, could we pass a message on?

Thursdays, pay-day at the factory, meant a queue out onto the street and down the road a wee bit. It was passbooks only on those days, no cash machines. It was the same queues when the ICI share certificates were issued. Folks patiently waited to sign the form to let them get sold.

There was a wee shop across the road, next to the Station Bar run by, I think, the Coia family. Pot Noodle heaven!

[bonzo]

I think the wee shop was Macalpines (spelling).

[stivis]

the Coia family

At that time would it not been the MacAlpines......the Coia's arrived very late 70s early 80's they bought the old Veronica shop from Martin McDonald which was at the Cross, then they bought two more shops, one of which was that one

[creamolafoam]

Jenny Mc Alpine had the shop from the 40s onward

[meekan]

Hi Mitchy,The bookies at the top of Glasgow St was originally owned by Robert Ried,who went on to own "Potters".His daughter now has Potters,Cross keys and The Pop.
Robert was brought up in Rowanside and his mum (Ella),had a sweetie shop in Princes St where "Schnipps" now is.

Alan,

Was that bookies not Mick Kelly's first shop when betting was legalised? It's been there for as long as I remember.

I remember when it was a smelly gent's toilet you had to hold your nose if you used it.
I think??? Mick Kelly was first to use it as a bookies

[0802]

Worked in there early 70’s and it was a strange wee building. No security, no alarm and two open counters. It wouldn’t happen these days. Great customers and staff though. It was the only RBS office I worked in where a jotter for messages was kept ‘round the back’. Almost every day somebody would open the door, ask if so-and-so had been in and if they hadn’t, could we pass a message on?

Thursdays, pay-day at the factory, meant a queue out onto the street and down the road a wee bit. It was passbooks only on those days, no cash machines. It was the same queues when the ICI share certificates were issued. Folks patiently waited to sign the form to let them get sold.

There was a wee shop across the road, next to the Station Bar run by, I think, the Coia family. Pot Noodle heaven!

How many staff worked the bank at its peak?

[canfactory]

Worked in there early 70’s and it was a strange wee building. No security, no alarm and two open counters. It wouldn’t happen these days. Great customers and staff though. It was the only RBS office I worked in where a jotter for messages was kept ‘round the back’. Almost every day somebody would open the door, ask if so-and-so had been in and if they hadn’t, could we pass a message on?

Thursdays, pay-day at the factory, meant a queue out onto the street and down the road a wee bit. It was passbooks only on those days, no cash machines. It was the same queues when the ICI share certificates were issued. Folks patiently waited to sign the form to let them get sold.

There was a wee shop across the road, next to the Station Bar run by, I think, the Coia family. Pot Noodle heaven!

How many staff worked the bank at its peak?

0802, There were five (an assistant manager who'd a wee room of his own on the left hand side as you came in the front door, two staff for the cash boxes, one to do the ledgers and the other to input all slips that came in and went out over the counters through an old IBM terminal). It produced a paper tape which was collected every day at 4 o'clock by taxi and taken with all the other local RBS branches tapes to the main office in Irvine. They ran them in a concentrator (?) which transmitted the info to head office at St Andrew Square, Edinburgh. We got one extra member of staff from Saltcoats on a Thursday.

[canfactory]

the Coia family

At that time would it not been the MacAlpines......the Coia's arrived very late 70s early 80's they bought the old Veronica shop from Martin McDonald which was at the Cross, then they bought two more shops, one of which was that one

stivis, I was at RBS Stevenston at the time of the miner's strikes and power cuts which I think was around 1974. At that time it was a Mr and Mrs Coia who ran the shop, they moved away to another they'd bought in Kilmarnock after about a year and Mr Coia's brother took over the running of the wee place. Could this have been a different family to the one you mention?

[0802]

Worked in there early 70’s and it was a strange wee building. No security, no alarm and two open counters. It wouldn’t happen these days. Great customers and staff though. It was the only RBS office I worked in where a jotter for messages was kept ‘round the back’. Almost every day somebody would open the door, ask if so-and-so had been in and if they hadn’t, could we pass a message on?

Thursdays, pay-day at the factory, meant a queue out onto the street and down the road a wee bit. It was passbooks only on those days, no cash machines. It was the same queues when the ICI share certificates were issued. Folks patiently waited to sign the form to let them get sold.

There was a wee shop across the road, next to the Station Bar run by, I think, the Coia family. Pot Noodle heaven!

How many staff worked the bank at its peak?

0802, There were five (an assistant manager who'd a wee room of his own on the left hand side as you came in the front door, two staff for the cash boxes, one to do the ledgers and the other to input all slips that came in and went out over the counters through an old IBM terminal). It produced a paper tape which was collected every day at 4 o'clock by taxi and taken with all the other local RBS branches tapes to the main office in Irvine. They ran them in a concentrator (?) which transmitted the info to head office at St Andrew Square, Edinburgh. We got one extra member of staff from Saltcoats on a Thursday.

Nice insight thanks. I live just down the road from said building, could never have imagined it was ever a bank.

[GarryT]

Remember a short-lived bookies next to Castlewirock. Jim Ballantyne.

[0802]

I’ve noticed that the old Ladbroke building in Station road has the boards off the doors and windows and you can see the old Labrokes racing signs.

[Spuds]

Hi all. Bringing this thread back because I am trying to work out who owned the bookies at the Hayocks shops in Stevenston, and what shop it was located in. I think it was there within the last 20 years Also, was there ever one at Ashgrove Road shops in Ardrossan (also within last 20 years) or is my memory playing tricks on me?

Hi there the bookies up the Hayocks was owned by Monaghan. It used to say the name above the door but I think its away now