Remember Hector Grey’s? His shops stocked a veritable hoard of bric-a-brac or ‘fancy goods’ as they were called back then. The labels underneath invariably read ‘Made in China‘ or ‘Hong Kong‘ or ‘Taiwan,’ but did anybody care? Of course not, they enjoyed a rummage through the wares and delighted in bringing home some gadget they’d bought at a knockdown price.
So, who was Hector Grey? Born Alexander Scott in 1904, he moved from Scotland to Dublin and it was said he arrived with half a crown in his pocket. His family had warned him not to disgrace the family name so when he became a “turf adviser,” selling racing information outside racetracks, he borrowed the name of a famous Australian jockey, ‘Hector Grey.’ In the beginning, he used the assumed name only at racecourses, but later on when he became a successful businessman, he decided the name brought him luck.
Alexander Scott aka ‘Hector Grey.’
Every Sunday he set up shop outside the Dublin Woollen Mills next to the Ha’penny Bridge. With his gift of the gab, he had shoppers flocking to him for bargains. Legend has it that his first big coup was purchasing blocks of salt water damaged soap that was nearly worthless and marketing it as “magic soap” for cleaning floors and doorsteps.
Hector Grey (Ireland) Limited, the retail business, was set up on Friday the 19th of October 1956. His business expanded to three shops, located on Upper Liffey Street, Fitzgibbon Street and in Crumlin Shopping Centre. Even when he became a millionaire, he still sold his wares on the streets and fraternised with the street traders on Henry Street and Moore Street.
What did Hector Grey’s sell? Light hardware, ornaments, souvenirs and anything from beaded purses to water pistols to plastic jewellery to oil crayons to party stuff and Santa gifts. The actor Noel Purcell recalled meeting him in Honk Kong. “It very was funny to hear him doing business with a Chinese businessman from whom he was buying his novelties, bric-a-brac and ashtrays.” Hector Grey and Purcell became lifelong friends and often went horse racing together, including trips to the Grand National at Aintree in Liverpool.
Hector Grey, Mary Street. Photo credit dublincity.ie
Where did he live? He had a large house called ‘The Beeches’ at Donaghmede. A stream called ‘the Donagh Water’ flowed through part of the gardens. In the 1970s, the stream was culverted and the land was filled in. The lands of Hector’s house are now ‘The Beeches’ estate.
The legendary retailer died in 1985 at the age of 83. After he died, the company ‘Hector Grey’ continued on with some Scott family members at the helm until c. 2006. The company was dissolved on Wednesday the 25th of May 2016.
History of Castleknock 