The woollen manufacturers around Newtown had much better means of sending their products out to their customers after the opening of three new railway lines between 1859 and 1863.
After going through many very bad times in earlier years, the local trade became more prosperous in the 1870s largely because of the efforts of a remarkable local businessman who in many ways was ahead of his time.
He was Pryce Jones, who was born in the neighbouring parish of Llanllwchaiarn in 1834, and became apprenticed at the age of 12 to a drapery business in Newtown.

At the age of just 21 Pryce Jones ran this business on his own for a few years when his employer was away. After his return Pryce Jones left in 1859 to open his own small shop just off Broad Street in Newtown. It was from here that he first tried out his ideas which were to lead to the promising beginnings of the first mail order business in the world !
He started in a small way by sending out patterns and stock lists to the local gentry, and by arranging for local woollen manufacturers and merchants to supply goods to meet the orders he obtained. This was to be the start of a very large and very successful business, as you can see on the next page...

From Newtown to the wide world...