About Us

Harpers Cycles & Toymaster—1-2 Middlegate, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7PG

Phone: (+44) 01768 864475

Fax: 01768 895386

E-mail: contact@harpers-cycles-toymaster.co.uk

www.harpers-cycles-toymaster.co.uk

To contact us:

A Real Toy Shop in the heart of Cumbria, three floors—come see our Aladdin’s Cave!

e English Lake District

Serving the Penrith area and northern England for nearly 40 years

“An Aladdin’s Cave” “It’s like a maze”

“There’s lots more upstairs” “How can we help”

From your local toy retailer you will find a wonderful choice and selection of toys, chosen by experienced stockists who really care that your shopping experience will be treasured and remembered!

Some facts about our business in Penrith, Cumbria—the Lake District.

· Locally owned, family business, specialist retailing with almost 40 years of experience in the cycle, toy and games retailing industries.

· Evolved out of cycle dealership to expand into nursery, prams as well as toys and hobbies.

· Today, we cater a wide range of well-known favourite toy brands, jigsaws, games and crafts. We also have a well-stocked doll showroom on our third floor, with prams, dolls houses, role play toys, swings and climbing frames.

S . J. H A R P E R’ S

C Y C L E S est. 1969

1969—2009

Next year we will be celebrating our 40th year in business having first started trading on the 2nd of June 1969. Harpers Cycles was established by Stuart Harper at 12a Castlegate, Penrith in 1969 as a local cycle dealer. Mr Harper set up shop with just a small amount of cycle stock for a variety of bikes before expanding into cycle hire and supplying the Penrith area and Eden Valley with a variety of cycles for all ages. Today, although our cycle department is very much reduced compared to twenty years ago we continue to stock a selection of children’s bikes and a range of cycle accessories for the keen cyclist, including all tyre sizes stocked, wheels, lights and bike tools.

1969

Mr Harper, a local to the Eden Valley, began his working life at Millburn's Cycle Shop, Middlegate, Penrith, after leaving school and worked as a cycle mechanic until 1969 when he fulfilled his ambition he start his own business. In 1970 Mr Harper moved his cycle shop into the nearby property of 48 Castlegate, a larger property with a separate repair workshop and showrooms to display 100s of cycles in future years. One of the rewards of these early years in business was the acquiring of certain vintage bikes such as a Dursley-Pedersen of Dursley, England, Sunbeam, Rudge and a BSA Bantom motor bike among others and a Penny Farthing and antique tricycle. At one time Harpers Cycles stocked over 300 bikes at one time—guess the number of wheels! Branching out into children’s toys, in parallel with cycles, began early to which Mr Harper can give a perfectly straightforward answer. It all started, he tell, when he began offering Matchbox cars to children who would often come into the bike shop with their parents. From that point on the toy department grew to be the dominant element within the business today.

Penrith—the gateway to the north lakes and an historic market town

In 1976 Mr and Mrs S. J Harper acquired 1 & 2 Middlegate on the main street of Penrith, a short distance within the town centre from Castlegate and on the main thorough faire of the town (A6). In acquiring this central location, Harpers Cycles has been able to sustain its business in the town for these four decades. During this time Penrith has adapted and developed from a small local market town serving its surrounding rural agricultural communities, with it’s auction mart at the top of Castlegate once providing a buzzing trade to the town’s specialist shops, to being today, a growing tourist town and service centre at the heart of the Eden Valley, sandwiched between the Lake District National Park to west and the North Pennine’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the east. Outside Penrith and great for families is Center Parcs Holiday Village at Whinfell Forest Village, there is also the nearby award winning Lowther Holiday and Caravan Park, nestled within 50 acres of natural, wooded forest on the banks of the River Lowther.

Now at Middlegate, Harpers Cycles continued to supply quality cycles, service and repair alongside a growing toy department. Also by the 1980s when the expanding toy trade took on it’s the name Toymaster Mr Harper also ran a Pram Shop in his Castlegate Shop supplying Silver Cross and Mammas & Pappas push chairs, baby cots, clothing and toys which was staffed by Mrs Harper. This department eventually moved down to Middlegate and operated out of a first floor showroom until the early 1990s.

Toymaster is the icon from which Harpers Cycles has supplied toys, games, dolls and prams at the same time as being an independent toy retailer. Mr Harper is an early member of the buying group Toymaster Ltd which is a national association of locally owned toy retailers who combine to bring real value and service to its customers. Are join buying power means that the independent toy retailing sector can provide the wide selection of toys which you can view on our three floors.

1999-2001

Refurbishment

Over eight years ago, before the Millennium our property in Middlegate, where we have traded from for over 30 years, was refurbished and partly rebuilt (particularly upstairs) over a period of two years. At this time the spiral staircase was removed and a brand new rear stairwell was built to access the third floor, while the roof at the back was raised to gain extra space on the third floor. More strikingly, at the exterior of the property the shop, the modern and tired facia was replaced with a period designed Russian oak front which is more in keeping with Penrith’s specialist shop and historic market town image.

Today Harpers Cycles & Toymaster is a leading toy, model and games stockist in Penrith offering competitive prices and wide selection to local, tourist and wider customer base. We welcome many hundreds of tourists in our town each year by greeting and serving their needs while they shop in our town. For our local regular customers we enjoy seeing familiar faces and guaranteeing a supply of their favourite quality toys at competitive prices and at second-to-none service!

One of the joys of our specialist toy shop and independent locally owned retailers in general is their ‘oldie-worldie’ character and magical shopping experience which neither the Internet nor national chain stores can compete on.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about our history and would be pleased to welcome you to our high street shop with three floors bursting with selection at

1-2 Middlegate

Penrith

Cumbria

CA11 8TW