![]() He’s been sober now for 37 years after he got help from Alcoholics Anonymous. He said: “It started off with a regular drink everyday and then got to the point where I’d have to carry a small bottle of whiskey around with me in my top pocket. It was then he realised he was an alcoholic. He was in the habit of having a daily drink and found himself needing to carry a small bottle around with him. John fell into alcoholism in his 30s while he worked as a builder. ![]() Ratzenberger was killed in a 200mph crash at the San Marino grand prix in 1994. It was white with a gold belt and had scribing across the middle.” Dave reminisced: “ It turned out one of them was an F1 race suit that used to belong to Roland Ratzenberger. Carborundum Co’, that was unusual.” Manchester’s Finest GroupĪnother funny tale was when Dave and the gang thought they were collecting a few boiler suits from a clear out in Ancoats to sell in their shop. I sold one of the enamel signs from the ’50s that said ‘please do not spit. “There were signs on the wall that said ‘please do not spit’ because of the grinding dust used to hang in the air. When we broke into the room it was amazing, it was like a snapshot in time. It’s like they just put everything down and closed the factory. “They had Deco wooden filing cabinets, candle sticks and paraffin lamps that you don’t see anymore. In the ’50s they had an Art Deco revival. Anyway, I won’t sell that again, hopefully.”ĭave talked about the time he had to gather old furniture from Carborundum Co grinding factory, over in Old Trafford, saying: “ It was a 1950s office that hadn’t been touched for 70 years. I think he would have enjoyed that story as he had a good sense of humour, our Ian. Since then I’ve stuck a sticker on the urn and it says ‘do not sell’. “And I’d realised what I’d done, I’d sold Ian’s ashes. Luckily, about a week later she came back with the pot and she said ‘this has got a pet’s ashes in it’. “One day when I was standing in for someone, a lady asked for trinket boxes and I gathered a few together and charged her £3 each for them. ![]() She’d given one to the shop because that’s where he’s worked for over 30 years. I didn’t realise that Katie had his ashes separated and put into little wooden urns. Over a year on, people are shocked that we’ve lost Ian. Showing me Ian’s funeral booklet, put together by Katie and Paul, Dave said: “It just goes to show what a fantastic guy he was. However, the urn now has a note stuck on, it clearly stating : ‘Ian’s ashes do not sell’. They brought it back to the shop, and John’s long lost pal remains on site. One day, a customer came in and decided they liked the look of it and bought it – only to get home and discover what they thought was someone’s pet’s ashes in it. Katie, who used to work Saturdays at Empire Exchange, brought some of his ashes in a small urn into the shop to rest where he spent many of his years.ĭave didn’t realise Ian’s ashes were inside the pot, and when he was pricing up ornaments for display, he accidentally placed a ticket on this one too. One that stands out relates to the late co-founder Ian who died after catching Covid during the height of the pandemic, aged 64. People love it for all different manner of reasons, and they all know it because we’ve been trading for over 40 years.”Īfter all those years trading in the centre, both John and Dave have some stories to tell. “No matter where you place Empire Exchange, it seems to be on ley lines, it seems to have spiritual connotations. About the unusual shop, Dave says: “A lot of things happen in this shop that are just kind of cosmic and it’s a funny kind of place. Prior to that there were two, one located in Shudehill and one on Charles Street. The shop has stood in its current location for around 23 years. Items come as donations from house clear outs and are passed on to new owners in small sales. You might see him in the shop sometimes, when he’s not going to house clearances and loading stock in the warehouse based in Old Trafford, before it’s sent to the shop. John’s son Dave Ireland also helps run the family business. ![]() John’s friend Paul also helped with the running of things, as they had a blast together throughout the years – though Paul has had to take time off for personal reasons. He co-founded the shop with his friend Ian Stott who sadly passed away in 2021. It was from his hobbies that Empire Exchange was born. At one time there used to be quite a lot of shops like us but they’ve all gone now. “I was accumulating a lot of books and stuff and I needed somewhere to move all my accumulated stock and then it all just sort of developed and we were very popular.
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