Many hippy returns...the quirky Darlington shop that's 50 years old today

SURROUNDED by a kaleidoscopic collection of merchandise from all over the world, Beryl Hankin is reflecting on a half century in which she and her mystical little shop have defied the odds.

It’s 50 years today since Guru Boutique – a wacky, wondrous little wedge of a place – officially opened its doors in Darlington town centre and began to build its reputation for having a different outlook on life and business.

It may be tiny compared to the giant Binns department store over the road in Blackwellgate, but Guru has a big heart and a special place in Darlington’s retail heritage.

Those of us who've reached a certain vintage can almost imagine Mr Benn making an entrance, in his black suit and bowler hat, to try on an outfit, before leaving through a magic door at the back of the changing room, and embarking on a weekly fancy dress adventure.

“I can’t believe it’s 50 years – it’s all gone in a bit of a blur,” admits Beryl, who is not only one of Darlington’s most familiar faces but widely acknowledged as among the town’s best ambassadors too.

“We’ve had our ups, downs and adventures over the years, but we’re still here, and we’ll keep on going as long as we can do it together as a team.”

The team she refers to is made up of the “calm, steady and unassuming” Tony Smith, whose been a safe pair of hands since he arrived in 1973, and “new boy” Colin Harrison, who first fell in love with the shop as a music-loving teenager and has now been part of the furniture for a mere 32 years.

“We’re all very different but we just clicked and fitted together like a glove. I couldn’t imagine Guru without them,” says Beryl, who was born in the town’s Orchard Road as a war baby, in 1943.

Beryl Maughan, as she was then, had no idea what path she’d end up taking when she was growing up. Her dad, Rupert, was a soldier in The Green Howards, and her mum, Irene, worked at Darlington and Simpson Rolling Mills, helping to make steel for the war effort.

Beryl describes herself as “a little lost soul, looking for something” but she always had a gift for art. “I spent most days in the headmistress’s office, designing programmes for school plays, or murals for the walls. It was a good skive,” she recalls.

After leaving school at 15, Beryl got a job with Prudhoe Printers, in Darlington, while also starting an evening class in commercial art at Darlington Technical College.

It was while attending the art classes that she met the love of her life, Ray Hankin, who went on to become her husband. Ray sadly died, aged 80, in December, with the devoted couple a year short of being married for 60 years.

The college course was run by Arthur Hughes, founder of another of Darlington’s retail survivors, The Art Shop. Arthur spotted Beryl’s potential and gave her a job in his studio as a trainee commercial artist.

Tasks included climbing a ladder at Darlington Bus Station to paint adverts on the double-deckers. “I think I must have been one of the first to wear jeans because it wouldn’t have been a good idea climbing a ladder in a miniskirt!” she laughs.

An assortment of jobs followed, including working in the Binns advertising department, where she sketched adverts for the newspapers, but far more exciting times were round the corner.

Ray turned up one day with three scruffy lads and announced they were forming a rock band that ended up being called Mother’s Lament. As well as organising their gigs, Beryl used to travel with them to London to buy their stage clothes in Carnaby Street and Kensington Market.

“It was 1969 – the summer of love – with amazing fashions and great music. It was mindblowing and Darlington seemed very grey in comparison. I kept thinking we could do with a bit of what they had,” recalls Beryl.

It became the inspiration for a shop opened by Beryl’s mum and dad, in North Road, in 1971. Called Quaker Girl, it sold colourful clothes, funky hats, joss sticks and incense, much of it supplied by Kensington Market.

The venture was short-lived because it was in the wrong location, so Beryl and her mum went to work for a shop in Post House Wynd. When that went bust, and a kiosk shop unit became available in Court Arcade, they decided to give it a go for a few weeks while they looked for another job.

The name “Guru Unisex Boutique” was chosen, with sitar music playing in the background, but there was never any great expectation it would last.

“We didn’t think anyone would come because it was too different for Darlington. But they did come – from all over the place. People used to sit on the floor, playing instruments, and it became a real hippy scene,” says Beryl.

A gang of bikers – including legendary Hells Angel 'Jungle' – became friends and "sorted out any trouble" as the business continued to take off.

Early customers included a young local lad called Jim Moir, who bought an Afghan coat and got into trouble at school for smelling of patchouli oil – “hippy juice” – he’d bought in the shop. He went on to find fame as Vic Reeves.

A bigger shop was soon needed and the business launched for real in a larger unit in Court Arcade on March 16, 1972.  Life wasn’t without its challenges due to regular flooding in the building, and there was also the small matter of the snakes that kept slithering under the door after escaping from a neighbouring pet shop.

The move to 24 Blackwellgate came in January 1990 and Guru Boutique – “Unisex” was dropped on account of being old-fashioned – has continued to cement its place in Darlington’s affections ever since.

Today, it is an overflowing treasure chest of a shop, selling all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff, including clothes, greetings cards, jewellery, gifts, ethnic soft furnishings, semi-precious stones, crystals, essential oils, candles, soaps, stationery and incense sticks.

Using only Fair Trade suppliers, it is a regular attraction for celebrities appearing at the Hippodrome Theatre, not least The Krankies who liked to come in to buy rubber chickens.

And then there’s the loyal band of friends fondly known as “The Guru Tribe” who have supported the shop through thick and thin. “They're our extended family, and they’re fabulous,” says Beryl.

Now 78, she’s recently fought a successful battle against cancer, resulting in her losing her trademark long black locks that have since been replaced by a chic, short-cropped silver style.

And, despite the problems facing town centres and the additional challenges of the pandemic, the business is “doing as well as can be expected”.

“We never really had a plan. We just do what feels right and take whatever comes in our stride,” says Beryl.

Before Ray’s funeral in December, Father Gordon Ryan, from St Augustine’s Church, came to see her and asked her to define Guru’s appeal.

“I’d never really thought about it but I told him we are about peace, love and bringing all kinds of people together. It might sound corny, but that’s what we are.”

And long may the magic last.

• To celebrate Guru’s 50th anniversary, a jumble sale, in aid of the people of Ukraine, will be staged outside the shop from 12 noon today, with music provided by “folk exotica band” Bubamara.