About Guru Boutique
Guru Boutique started in Darlington in 1972, and still exists online. It is more than a shop; it is a way of life, started and then maintained with love by a collection of family and friends.
Guru was known for fair trade and alternative clothing, accessories, incense, crystals, gifts, blank cards, greetings cards, books and more. We no longer have a physical shop, but as you are on our website, you will know we are still around online.
Apart from this site, Guru's main social media presence includes a Facebook page, Guru Boutique, and a quite popular selling group on Facebook called Guru's Goodies and Guru's Cards. Guru Boutique also posts on Instagram, X and Pinterest. In addition to that, Guru's Beryl writes a blog which you can read at www.guruboutique.com
HISTORY (1970s to the present time).
The forerunner of Guru was a tiny shop on North Road, Darlington, called Quaker Girl, which was run by Irene and Rupert Maughan (Beryl's mam and dad).
Stage one:
Quaker Girl was an early attempt to bring something different to Darlington. Beryl and her husband, Ray, started going to London in the late 1960s to buy stage clothes and equipment for a blues rock band they were involved with, and Beryl's dad, always quick to spot a good idea, decided to open a hippie shop (something quite innovative back then).
That was on the cusp of 1969 and 1970, and, significantly, 1970 was also the year that Beryk, Ray, and members of the group (Mother's Lament) attended the Isle of Wight pop festival. That was a trip that changed lives.
Quaker Girl didn't last too long (partly because it was in the wrong location and probably had the wrong name too), that first attempt at an alternative shop failed, and Beryl's dad lost interest.
Stage two:
This stage of Guru's evolution began in 1972 when Beryl and her mam (Irene), both having recently lost their jobs, decided to try again to have their own shop, but this time just the two of them (mother and daughter) were involved. They had no money, but they did have a bit of leftover stock from Quaker Girl, and so they called their shop Guru Unisex Boutique. The shop was a tiny kiosk in a run-down arcade in the actual town centre. As well as being very small, the unit was also very cheap and could be rented week by week. That latter fact suited them very well, as they had no capital, and it allowed them to try their luck as a small business without having to put down a deposit or pay rent and rates up front. It was a pay-as-you-go arrangement with the very decent landlord, Mr Haithwaite. The actual arrangement was, "if ever you can't pay, you go", which was fair enough. Resourceful Irene also persuaded an Indian gentleman in Bradford called Matti Mir, whose name she had found in a trade magazine (The Draper's Record), to supply them with some cheesecloth kurtas and shirts plus some gift items and a lovely range of embroidered velvet clothes with little mirrors sewn into them, on a sale or return basis. These items proved very popular, so this time, by some miracle, IT WORKED, and lots of alternative souls in the town found their way to Court Arcade to visit Guru. Irene and Beryl bumbled along trying to learn how to run a business. People seemed to like what they were doing, and the word spread, attracting more and more customers (including many from out of town), so this mother and daughter were able to buy more and more varied stock (including two of the most iconic symbols of those times, Afghan coats and loon pants).
Quite early on in the adventure, a young Indian man, aged about nineteen, based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, found us and began supplying Guru too. His name was Jiti Varma. He had real flair and sold us some beautiful but reasonably priced items of Indian cotton and cheesecloth clothing, which helped enormously.
Jiti went on to open his own very respected fashion showrooms in Manchester. The Gurus have remained friends with Jiti to this day and hold him in the highest regard. In fact, they keep in contact with several reps and agents from companies that they first got to know back in the Court Arcade days. Some notable suppliers over the years have included Interstyle, Phool Fashions, Fashion Pirate, Athena Posters, Poco Loco jewellery, Alchemy Gothic, and others.
Without them, Irene and Beryl could not have performed the miracles they did.
Guru's long-suffering accountants deserve a mention too, as the Gurus have always found bookkeeping challenging to say the least.
The images below were snapped in the 1970s/1980s and show two of the units Guru went on to rent in Court Arcade, plus Irene, Beryl and Tony behind the till.
What follows is a short history of Court Arcade itself, that tumbledown yet in many ways iconic and much missed location that Guru Boutique occupied for so many years. That place had once been the site of the beautiful old Court Kinema, which sadly burnt down many years ago. The facade of the old cinema survived, so in the 1960s, the space behind it was rebuilt as a sort of long shed filled with separate retail units, which eventually became the legendary Court Arcade. It may have been shabby and would never have passed any building safety regs these days with its concrete flooring, asbestos-lined ceilings, and leaky roof, but the atmosphere in there was second to none. It was Darlington's very own alternative place to hang out and the mix of shops on offer was truly amazing. For example at various times whilst the Gurus were trading there, they shared the place with Hunt Brothers (auctioneers), several record stores, a sewing machine repairers, an American style diner, a Spencers trousers outlet, an American clothing shop, a comic shop, a retro clothing shop, Darlington's first Oxfam shop, a trendy boutique or two, a magic shop (Ludi's Madhouse run by their amazing friend Steve), a pet shop, Cotters, a lovely jewellers (the proprietors of which Beryl is still in contact with), at least two gift shops, a wool shop run by the lovely Mrs Batey, even a religious shop belonging to The Elim Church. Part of the upper facade and a window of this former cinema, which later became an iconic arcade, are still visible today above The Speedy Pepper Pizza place in Skinnergate, but, as stated earlier, the cinema itself burnt down long ago. In the early 1990s, the shopping arcade, which had taken its place, fell into serious disrepair and was finally demolished to make way for Arcadia Court. This sheltered housing development now stands on the site.
To this very day, Court Arcade is remembered fondly by those who worked, shopped and hung out there in the 60s, 70s and 80s. In 1990, Guru moved from the legendary Court Arcade to a beautiful, historically significant four-storey shop situated at 24, Blackwellgate...
Stage three:
As stated, stage three began in 1990, when Guru Boutique moved from Court Arcade to number 24 Blackwellgate, Darlington (as captured in the second and third images above).
Stage four:
The fourth (and current) stage of Guru's evolution is their online business. It is a secure website set up by their friends, Darby and Terry.
We hope you will enjoy browsing it and discovering interesting bits and bobs to purchase. Guru mostly specialises in Essential and aromatic oils, Incense products and Stationery items nowadays, and they publish their own books too - mainly about the history of Darlington and of Guru Boutique. All these publications are on the website.
The Guru Tribe: As lovely and magical as Guru Boutique (the business) is, there's another side too, and that is their beloved Guru Tribe.
The 'tribe' has nothing to do with trading; it is simply a collection of some of the lovely and varied friends the Gurus have built over the many years they have been a presence in Darlington.
To keep in touch with friends, this tribe has its own little Facebook group called 'Guru Tribe Forever', and you are very welcome to join if you feel inclined. No one tries to sell anyone anything on there; no one talks politics; no one moans or groans —they hang out. It's a place to have a natter, talk music, have a laugh, and feel like you belong.
#gurutribeforever
GURU BOUTIQUE IS STILL EVOLVING... Who knows what will happen next...
GURU'S CURRENT STAFF: L to R: Tony, Beryl and Colin.
These three lunatics are each other's very best friends!
Photo credit: Mike Tweddle 2023
Credits for the creation of this site include Heather, Kelly, Chris, Courtney, Maria, Ian, Rosie, Tracy, Robyn, Dave, Ellie, Terry, Darby, Kendall, and so many more—for giving us the benefit of their help, love, friendship, and expertise.
In loving memory of Irene Maughan, Raymond Hankin, George Harrison and Humphrey Fishburn.
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