Behind the Shop Facade: The Life of Maurice Dorfman
A photo-story by Jim Grover
Behind the Shop Facade tells the remarkable story of Maurice Dorfman, the grandson of Hyman and Sarah Dorfman who fled the anti-semitic pogroms in Ukraine (then a part of Russia) at the end of the 19th century and arrived in London’s East end in 1902.
Maurice (‘Murray’ to those who knew him the longest) ended up running the family business, Jeannette Fashions, a haberdashery which traded on Clapham High Street for some 60 years, making it the longest surviving traditional shop on the high street; it was also the family home. Following the deaths of his mother, in 1982, and his father, in 1992, Maurice lived above, and managed, the haberdashery shop alone until his death in 2020 at the age of 87. His death marked the end of an era as there were no descendants to pass the business on to; once the estate is settled it is expected that the enormous property will be sold and converted into new retail units and flats with the distinctive shop facade being lost forever.
The family business had served successive generations in Clapham over six decades, initially providing work for seamstresses in the 1960s, including from the Windrush generation, followed by supplying fabrics, patterns, and haberdashery for the multitude of women who were making their own clothes, especially in the 1970s and ‘80s.
The display of respect and affection for this remarkable man on his death triggered my interest in creating a tribute exhibition to celebrate his life and the important and valuable role he and his family played in the community, here in Clapham, for so long.
Behind the Shop Facade has taken 18 months to create. It is the result of memories and stories from more than 60 people (resulting in 140 pages of interview transcripts), extensive research (which has taken me beyond Clapham to Ukraine, Australia; Italy; Canada and the US), and a substantial body of photographs, both old and new.
The result is a piece of British social history spanning 120 years that has, at its centre, this remarkable man and his family’s business here in Clapham. The story is filled with revelations and surprises as Maurice had lived many lives; it is told through a major photography exhibition as well as a 230 page book which will be published alongside the exhibition.
Welcome to Jeannette Fashions, and to the life of Maurice Dorfman!
Jim Grover
March 2022