Tiles
In the past, the floors, counters and shelves of shops were made of wood which was difficult to keep clean. In late Victorian times some larger food shops started to put mosaics on the floors, tiles on the walls and to use marble for counter tops. These not only looked beautiful but were much more hygienic.
This picture shows some tiles fitted in a Sainsbury shop before 1936. They would have formed a border around the top of the walls. From the 1890s Sainsbury’s used the same tiles in all its stores. The tiles on the counter fronts were glazed brown. The walls were a mix of plain and patterned tiles in cream, brown, green, blue, yellow and white. The floor was made up of tiny ceramic tiles in shades of grey, blue, green, white and brown. This created an image that customers trusted.