English Shop

The oldest and most famous shop in Petersburg of the 18^th and 19^th centuries — the English shop.

In 1784, merchant John Pickersgill opened a shop on Galernaya Embankment (section of house No. 26) and in the same year placed the following announcement in the "Saint Petersburg Gazette": “At the English shop of merchant Pickersgill, residing near the Galerny Court in house No. 221, various fashionable goods are sold at reasonable prices, such as: various stocking, paper and garus fabrics, men's and women's hats, stockings, quilted blankets, printed calico, chintz, cloth, cambric, fleur, ribbons, carpets, atlas of the finest quality, muslin, velvet, waistcoats and fringes from the first English factories.” At first, the shop was still called a “store,” and the selection of goods was not yet impressive in sophistication or abundance. After trading for two years, Pickersgill decided to move closer to the center and to more respectable customers. Selling the house on the embankment, he acquired another on Nevsky Prospect (No. 14), and he himself left for England, leaving a deputy in his place. We learn about this from his published announcement: “English merchant Pickersgill… intends to leave here soon for England;… he also announces that shortly his new shop on Nevsky Prospect will soon be opened… Trade in this shop will be conducted in his name, Pickersgill, or that of his wife.”

In 1786, Pickersgill’s English shop opened in the adjacent house, at the corner of Nevsky and Bolshaya Morskaya (No. 16/7). It became one of the most expensive and popular shops in Petersburg. Pushkin enjoyed unlimited credit there; after his death, Pushkin’s heirs had to pay 2,000 rubles. The Bolshoi Theatre purchased materials here for Marius Petipa’s ballet productions. The trading firm "English Shop" supplied malachite for the fireplaces of the malachite drawing room of the Winter Palace and the interiors of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The shop also valued another client who usually came without a wallet — Emperor Nicholas I, who, conveniently located not far from the Winter Palace, bought Christmas gifts here for his family. The shop was located on the second floor, with the watchmaker’s workshop beneath it.

Faddey Bulgarin wrote in "Literary Notes": “Among the three main establishments I mentioned above, the second is the English shop owned by Messrs. Plinke and Nichols. Everything scattered among numerous heterogeneous shops and stores, all products of various factories and industries, can be found here in the best form and finest quality. From precious stones to simple clay, from platinum to iron, from velvet to plain flannel, from silk fabrics to chintz — all gradations of wealth, art, and industry you will find here in diverse forms and transformations. But the main distinguishing feature of this establishment compared to many private ones is honesty. Send a child, and he will be received as a nobleman, and goods of the same quality will be sold at the same price. Only if someone finds it expensive — do not buy! But I willingly pay an extra ruble for the assurance that I am not deceived, and for the precious time saved on bargaining and choosing goods.”

Soon a scandal occurred that affected the fate of Konstantin Nichols and Wilhelm Plinke, both co-owners of the English shop. Their partner Robert Kochun married the widowed Italian Bravura and then, probably, endured many unpleasant moments due to a major high-society scandal involving a rebellious stepdaughter, which was whispered about throughout Petersburg. Emperor Nicholas I himself and the rebellious Prince Sergey Trubetskoy were involved in this scandal.

In the end, the shop lasted almost 100 years, only changing owners.

Sources:

Anatoly Ivanov. Stories and Legends of Old Petersburg

https://culture.wikireading.ru/hAtVy9UsYS