With only ten pounds in working capital he used the furniture from his own home to put in the widow to gain his first sales and undertake deliveries by way of a handcart. He used to say he had built the business up on chalk, as his practice of creating rhymes which he chalked on the windows and later his blackboard outside, caught the attention of and amused thousands of passer-by’s, thus ensuring a steady flow of customers. John Busbridge was widely respected by all who knew him. After the Second World War in 1946 he passed the then flourishing business over to his son Gordon (John Gordon) Busbridge in exchange for Gordon’s house Coniston†in Westfield lane. ​ The business subsequently developed from the corner shop of the pre First World War years to a full-scale comprehensive furniture store occupying five premises over four floors. The enlargement and modernization is a tribute to Gordon Busbridge, who not only visualized the new growing out of the old, but also personally worked on every aspect of the reconstruction.
