Local family business Gilders celebrates 60th anniversary

On 8th July 1965, Ray Davies opened his first shop at 148 Wellingborough Road, Northampton - selling predominantly fishing tackle, soon expanding to sell kitchen hardware, waterproof clothing and even dartboards.

Ray was joined in business by his sons Tim & Julian who were both keen sportsmen. Julian’s fly-fishing expertise and Tim’s shooting knowledge helped the company expand; Gilders was soon becoming a respected name on the fishing and shooting scene.

By 1972 their customer base and stock holding were increasing, it became clear they had outgrown the shop and moving to a larger premises was a necessity. Here came the purchase of 250/252 Wellingborough Road, NN1 4EJ - the same shop that is still thriving today!

Gilders (Northampton) Ltd briefly occupied premises in Wellingborough and Corby, before settling on The Old Bakehouse, 32 Montagu Street, Kettering, NN16 8RU which opened in 1980 and also continues a busy trade today.

Father and sons continued working as a knowledgeable and respected team until the sad passing of Ray in 1994, followed by Julian in 2012.

Tim Davies continued trading successfully with a focus on three main departments:

• Country Clothing - including well known brands such as Barbour
• Fishing - a large range of fishing tackle and hardware for all disciplines
• Shooting - firearms, airguns & many accessories

Tim’s sister Sally, wife Julie and their son Jordan now all work within the Company alongside a team of expert staff offering friendly and helpful advice.

Now in 2025, Gilders are very proud to be celebrating 60 years of trading as a true family business.

Tim said:

“It is great to see our customers that have grown up shopping at Gilders now continuing on the tradition with the second or even third generation!

I am very proud that my son Jordan is taking the company forward with our same core values: supplying top quality products, service and advice.

With the rise of online shopping, we pride ourselves on being a traditional “bricks and mortar” shop where customers are able to come in and browse the products in person. We have an online shop at www.gildersonline.co.uk but we always recommend popping in or giving us a call as we have a huge range that isn’t all listed online.

We would like to thank all our customers for supporting our business and having kept us going all this time. If you have not yet tried out Gilders then we look forward to seeing you soon!”