Comments on: Martin White, Textile Consultant

By: Leila Cumber

Leila Cumber — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 23:05:21 +0000

My late husband, Norman, and I, knew Martin and his late brother, Eddie, throughout our late teens, early 20’s and well into middle age. Indeed, and truthfully as said, Martin’s late wife, Shela, was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
Other than naming family and one-time business partner, Danny Secunda in his life story, whom we also knew, Martin touched the lives of many in his business years, not least
the late Norman Cumber who, I know, had he been still alive, would have wanted to contribute his own comments.
My connection with Spitalfields Market is that my paternal grandfather, Louis Nathan (Newcron) owned a wholesale greengrocers there in the 1890’s.

By: Victor Smith

Victor Smith — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 11:47:12 +0000

Read with interest-but no dates given,and so timeline difficult to follow.
What happened in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s ?

By: joan

joan — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:23:37 +0000

Thank you Martin. Glad to be corrected on the name. He used to encourage me to call him uncle (I was probably the only Irish Catholic girl with an Uncle Hilly!) Next time I am in buying cloth at your place I’ll have a chat to you about what I remember. Shame my dad is no longer alive as he used to install and mend all the burglar alarms around Whitechapel – places like Curtis Kings and Spiegelhalters.

I think you’d approve of the careful Hong Kong binding on my latest project made from your cloth. The quality deserved it.

Best wishes, Joan

By: Martin White

Martin White — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:56:27 +0000

Dear Joan,
I new Hilly Zetolofsky very well, he was good customer of mine and lived Brushfield Street.
Please do drop in to Cloth Warehouse if you fancy a chat.
All the best, Martin White.

By: joan

joan — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 08:19:08 +0000

This makes me think of Steve Zetolofsky, a champion weightlifter and contestant in Britain’s strongest man, whose dad Hymie had a fabric shop near the Sally Army in Whitechapel. I used to buy a lot of fabric there as a child and teenager in the 1970s (I started dressmaking while still at primary school) and Steve would lift me on to his shoulders.

I was in Berwick Street only yesterday buying some moleskin to make trousers. It’s one of the few places that still offers a wide range of fabrics for the home dressmaker. Of course, Crescent Trading is THE place to go for woollens and silks!

Best wishes,

Joan