A SHOPKEEPER behind the till at one of Weymouth’s long-standing icons has said his final goodbye to his shop floor after 44 years.

John Dobson, 67, took over the Queen of Hearts when he moved to Weymouth with his mother in 1972.

Starting off as a simple newsagents and tobacconist, Mr Dobson’s establishment became a toy shop, almost doubling in size to house all his wares.

Today, many adults remember fondly their youth spent perusing the shelves of Mr Dobson’s shop, situated only a short walk from the Esplanade.

During his last day behind the till on Friday July 22, Mr Dobson reminisced about his old shop.

Mr Dobson said: “Originally, as a newsagents, it was open 364 days a year – closed only on Christmas Day and even then we used to have people who had forgotten a toy come knocking on the door.

“I’m going to miss the repartee with customers and the staff

“We’ve got people coming back from 40 years ago who were children when they came, and now they’ve got their own children.

“We like to think we’re a friendly shop and there are people that come back year in, year out.”

When he arrived in Weymouth, it was after a long search for a business suitable for him and his mother to take over.

Every weekend they would leave their home in Bromsgrove, near Birmingham and travel round the country searching.

It was their goal to find a spot by the sea and lucky for Weymouth, they found a place to set up shop on St Albans Street.

Their shop front is an instantly recognisable cornucopia of colourful seaside toys and gifts.

Mr Dobson said: “We went in for the sea side market image and that seems to work well. I think we may be among the most photographed shops in the country.”

The shop will now fall into the hands of Henry Birch, 48, who intends to retain Mr Dobson’s style that has proved so pervasive.

Mr Birch said: “I would like to wish John well in his retirement and say what a good job he’s done over the years. It’s nice to see granddads saying they used to come here. Nothing’s going to change, we’re going to keep the Queen of Hearts just as it is."

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