UP CLOSE: with Nathans owner Mike Elkins

Godalming Nub News aims to be supportive of every element of the community, from business and shops to people and charities, clubs and sports organisations.

Our regular UP CLOSE feature profiles some of the clubs, businesses, groups and people who make Godalming such a great town in which to live.

This week we talk to Mike Elkins, Director of Nathans Leather Goods and Gifts in Queen Street, and enjoy a trip down Memory Lane.

Do you remember, as a child, going to a certain shop in Queen Street at Christmas, a shop that smelt of leather, that had a big glass counter with displays of cufflinks, bags, belts and purses?

This Nub News reporter does - buying a special gift for dad, a leather purse for mum: handing over coins while the assistant popped the purchase into a paper bag. One year Santa even brought this reporter a manicure set in a beautiful blue flock case, which cam from Nathans, and graced her dressing table for many years.

That shop is still there: Nathans leather goods and gifts are still in demand in the town, and its iconic display of wicker baskets and bags hanging from the canopy has been a part of the Queen Street scene for over half a century.

The shop is no longer in the hands of the Nathan family: today it is owned by the chatty and charming Mike Elkins, who was more than happy to tell Nub all about the store and its exciting new foray into the digital world, with the launch of a website this summer.

As luck would have it, though, one member of the Nathan family was also on hand when Nub News called in: Lorna is the younger sister of Alan Nathan, the man who had the vision to turn what was then the family home into a shop with flat above in 1965, thereby launching one of Godalming's longest-standing independently-owned businesses.

Alan retired in 1994, selling the business to Mike, but the family keep in touch: the shop, unsurprisingly, holds a special place in their hearts.

Lorna, sitting by the remaining glass fronted cabinet (the other having been removed long ago) described the layout of the original house: the main sales area was the sitting room: customers enter through the old hallway, and out the back towards the spot where the kitchen once was, is the Christian bookshop set up by Alan, and expanded over the years to hold a wide selection of books and other related materials.

Alan's younger brother Richard, on a subsequent visit, told Nub News that the Queen Street building had been bought by his father as a family home in 1944.

The Nathans' mother, who had created her family home in the two-storied building, took over the spacious upstairs flat when the shop opened in 1965.

The flat is now privately rented, and the leather goods shop and bookshop downstairs still occupy the former Nathan family rooms.

he wooden display shelving built by Alan, a talented carpenter, are still in use in the shop, playing host to the bags on display. Mike's range is extensive: he sells handbags and suitcases, briefcases and shopping bags, wallets and purses, cufflinks and jewellery. The wicker baskets outside that have been such a feature of the shop over the years are still present: whether you want a shopping basket, one in which to store logs, knitting, washing or magzaines, there is one there that will fit the bill. The leather bags are good quality, well-made items from Samsonite, Rock, Troop and Scottish brand Rowallan. Mike also repairs leather items, including purses, bags and suitcases: the only leather goods he doesn't repair are shoes and clothes. He learnt his craft from Alan, watching and practising alongside a master craftsman. "You can buy cheap luggage from the supermarkets, but it's a false economy buying cheap," he says. "People often bring luggage in for repairs after just one use. A wheel breaks off or a handle breaks off or it splits on the seam. "When we sell a piece of luggage we make sure it comes with a good guarantee, and it's good quality." That attention to customer service has brought Nathans a loyal band of returning customers over the years, and was recognised with a Godalming Chamber of Trade award for retail excellence in 2014.

Mike still has the plaque on display in his window.

And he will be bringing his window display to a wider audience next week with the launch of the Nathans website, a new departure for the company and an exciting opportunity to reach new customers and reconnect with old ones. "It's a whole new thing for me, and I am looking forward to it going live," he says.

You can find the new website here.

Nathans is at 15 Queen Street, and is open from Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.