A NEW exhibition is turning back the High Street clock to the days before the internet and supermarkets.

Forgotten shops of Hawick is the latest exhibition to be staged at the Borders Textile Towerhouse.

For centuries shop local was the only option.

In the days before big chains and online shopping arrived, Hawick supported around 250 shops - from small corner convenience outlets to large department stores.

And the exhibition offers a nostalgic look back at many of those long-forgotten stores through photographs, memorabilia, and a fascinating collection of billheads from old local businesses.

Toys from the 1960s, bought at Pairkie Aathings, a weel kent local fancy goods shop, are on display as well as ceramic bottles with old shop names, and printed artefacts including labels from local whisky and beer bottles, many with the Turnbull’s brand name featuring prominently.

The Hawick Co-op, which began in 1839 and had shops all over the town, has its own section in the exhibition.

Shaureen Lammie, museum and gallery assistant at Live Borders, told us: "As a charity, Live Borders aims to help communities in the Scottish Borders to be healthier, happier and stronger, and this exhibition will bring back happy memories to many!

"At the start of the 1950s, Hawick had around 250 shops, from small corner shops to high street department stores.

"Today, that number is massively reduced.

“This exhibition takes a look back at these shops and allows us to take stock of the ongoing evolution of the high street and remember a different way of life.”

The Forgotten shops of Hawick exhibition runs from Saturday, December 14 through to March at the Borders Textile Towerhouse, Hawick.

The Textiles Towerhouse is open from 10am to 4pm.