Margaret Hammond (pictured far left) was one of the first employees of Feather Smailes Scales back in 1994 but her working relationship with Charles Smailes dates right back to 1974.
To celebrate our 25th anniversary we caught up with Margaret and asked her to share her memories with us.
“Charles and I worked together at W H Mawer & Co in Harrogate and have remained friends ever since,” recalls Margaret.
When Charles decided to set up his own property business in 1994 Margaret was working for Dacre Son and Hartley on a development in Ripon selling new homes.
“Charles rang me up out of the blue and told me about a business venture he was exploring with Peter Scales and Jim Feather and when they offered me a job I didn’t think twice,” says Margaret.
“In those days due to the property crash there were a lot of properties being repossessed and FSS launched its auction house on Raglan Street to bring them to market on behalf of local building societies. At that time the firm only had one of the terraced properties that now make up their offices and they set up an auction room at the back of the building.”
Margaret remembers that the first sale which was well attended was a huge success.
“We quickly realised that this room wasn’t going to be big enough and the sales moved to the Cairn Hotel,” she recalls.
With the auction business established, FSS quickly moved into other areas of property. Margaret remembers Simon Croft joining and the lettings department growing in leaps and bounds.
“All the team got on really well and we still meet up regularly,” Margaret says.
“To celebrate Charles’s birthday, Richard invited all the girls from the 70s to join the celebrations and it was great fun to see everyone.
“Charles’s ethos was to create a family atmosphere and a work environment where everyone gets on and works together. We were a great team then and I have no doubt that it’s just the same today.”