Account books and business records of Arthur Gardiner, senior, (1914 - 1969) and his family who built and operated Berrywell stores, Dyce. After Arthur's death in 1969 his wife, Edie, ran the stores with their middle son, Frank, until Frank's death in 1991 when the business was sold. The eldest son, Arthur Gardiner, has written a brief history of the business and the family which is part of the collection of records.
Arthur Gardiner, senior, was known as the rhyming grocer because he printed a quarterly newsletter in rhyme advertising the shop. He also had a volume of poems printed 'The Eident Years' [eident = diligent]. Copies of the newsletter and the volume of poetry are in the collection.
There are also papers concerning the planning and building of the original shop, which still exists in Dyce today (2005) as the Spar who bought it outright in 1991.
Photographs of the shop interior, exterior and a postcard showing the shop as originally built (one storey - the two flats above and the hairdressers next door being added by Mr Gardiner at a later date)