DEE'S is an institution, it is a way of life.

That is certainly the view of David Dee who talks passionately about this little gem of a shop nestled in Glasgow’s Trongate.

At just 20 years old and a third-generation owner, he is helping to keep one of Glasgow’s oldest retailers at the forefront of the minds of the city’s fashion-conscious.

And it is something that his family has managed to do since they opened up in 1956 in Cambuslang.

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A key part of the Mod subculture movement which focussed on music and fashion, Dee's helped a new generation of men keep stylish with everything from a fashionable suit to a practical parker.

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Peter

“Mod originally stood for moderning man,” explained Peter McGhee, who has worked in Dee's for over 43 years.

He continued: “The mod was sharply dressed. They wore smart Italian suits or mohair suits, that type of thing.

“Scooters was the style. That was the in thing to do and they could afford it.

“They got transport then they bought the parkers as a sacrificial top to their good suits.

“They didn’t mind them getting wet, kept their suits good. That’s how the parker became very popular.”

David’s grandfather David started Dee's after his family moved to the city from London.

They had a successful furriers business but David wanted to break away from the family firm and he opened up the first Dee's in Cambuslang in 1956.

The Dee's expansion began with shops in Springburn, Partick, Clydebank and the flagship in the Trongate. They worked against competitors like City Cash Tailors and Dandy.

But over the years as trading became increasingly difficult for independent retailers the shops all closed – except the Trongate Dee's which has retained its authentic look from that period.

Peter, 60, said: “We are not as busy as we used to be.

“When I first started here on a Saturday there were nine staff. We even had a doorman and there was a queue going upstairs.

“There were over one million people in Glasgow at that time and people came from outside Glasgow because you never had anything like the city centre anywhere else.

“You had busloads coming down so it was very busy at that time.

“It’s now different with the internet and other things but we are here and that is the main thing.”

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David with his parents as a baby

David, 20, has been involved in the shop since he was born thanks to his parents.

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Dee's opening with David's grandparents 

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The Dee brothers 

His grandfather David and grandmother Tilly passed on the business to their sons Raymond, who is David’s father, and Franklin.

Raymond then married Trez who helps run the shop with David after he sadly passed away.

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David said: “I can’t put into words how proud I am. Dee's is an institution. Dee's is a way of life, it is that for not just for me or Peter who has worked here over 40 years or my mum who has been in here 20 years.

“It’s a way of life for Glaswegians and the West of Scotland, and far and wide.

“I get people asking to post to Australia, I have had requests from a lady in Uganda and a gentleman in Hong Kong.

“It’s incredible how wide and far-reaching this small family business in the Trongate in Glasgow has actually got to.”

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He added: “Of course we have our struggles. This end of the town is dying, it is the only word for the Trongate.

“The retail maxim is you’ve got the first generation that makes it, the second rakes it and the third tends to break it.

“Under me, my mum and Peter, we will be here and keep going for the next 56 years.”

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Trez added: “I’d like to throw out a big thank you to all our loyal customers. Without you, we wouldn’t have survived this length of time.”

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/DeesTrongate/