House of Reeves

The store was founded in 1867 as Ye Olde Curiositie Shoppe on Church Street – in the Old Town area of Croydon, next to the Elis David Almshouses, and close to Croydon Parish Church – by Edwin Reeves, a cooper from Sherborne, Dorset. He subsequently extended his business to include the sale of ironmongery, and later furniture. In 1913, he passed the business to his son, William. William expanded the store from the original premises, 120 Church Street, into neighbouring properties, acquiring 114–18 Church Street in 1915, and a lease of the Old Victory Coffee Tavern in 1916. The upper part of the tavern (formerly a lodging house) was converted to auction rooms, and the lower part to second-hand furniture showrooms. In 1921, he acquired the Dome Picture Palace; and at later dates 110 and 112 Church Street. In 1967 the store was threatened by a redevelopment scheme for Old Town, but was saved after the Church Street Traders' Association protested that "the future prosperity of the lower part of Church Street materially depends on the preservation of the business of Messrs E. Reeves Ltd, at or near the present site". By 1970, now occupying ten shops in four streets, the business could be described as "one of the town's shopping landmarks". The firm's last furniture auction on the site was held in 1985.

The firm became a limited company in 1947, trading as E. Reeves Ltd. In the 1980s it began trading as House of Reeves. It continued to be run as a family business, passing in turn from William Reeves Sr. to William Jr., and then to Maurice Reeves, the company chairman as of 2011. The Croydon business is run by Maurice's sons, Trevor and Graham. Another of Edwin Reeves' great-great-grandsons is Marc Reeves, former editor of the Birmingham Post.

In 1919, William Reeves Sr. visited his brother in Sherborne, who subsequently opened a shop there, which became a branch of the Croydon store; and in 1929 a second branch was opened at Caterham.