The end of a pine romance
THE DURHAM Pine dream which came to an end yesterday was born in a back street second-hand shop in Durham 21 years ago. Business writer KEVIN CLARK examines the rise – and fall – of an empire.
IT WAS the miners’ strike that gave John Marshall the impetus to strike out in business on his own.
Durham Pine – or DP Furniture Express as it became known last year – was born out of necessity:
“I was working as a salesman for the American vacuum cleaner company, Kirby,” Mr Marshall told the Echo last year, as the firm celebrated its 20th anniversary.
“There was 28 per cent unemployment in an area where I was trying to sell vacuum cleaners for £400 a throw.”
“I had seen this guy who was running a second-hand shop and I went across and asked him how he did it. He told me what to do, I sold my car for £1,500 and started the shop.”
He used £800 from the proceeds of his car to buy stock and opened his first shop.
It proved such a success that he soon recruited an old friend – Tom Macknight – to help.
The first shop was far from luxurious:
“We used to clean cookers out the back and it was freezing, so we put a plastic roof on it and nailed carpet to the door,” said Mr Marshall.
The Durham Pine brand was born when the pair discovered the benefits of putting a little extra work in, as Mr Marshall recalled:
“I got an old wooden chest of drawers in, stripped the paint off and put new handles on. I did this chest up and got 65 quid for it, having bought it for a fiver.