leading purveyors of fine glass, crystal and china with international magazines praising not only the contents of the store, but also the expertise of those who ran it.

"An important outlet for British pottery and cut lead crystal glassware is to be found at Bermuda,'' proclaimed the British journal, the Pottery Gazette in July of 1950. "And among its leading retailers are A.S. Cooper & Sons, Ltd.

Well-known and respected by the potters and glass makers are Mr. A.S. Cooper and his two sons, Gilbert and Arthur.'' The journal, which interviewed Arthur Cooper whilst he was on a buying trip to England, encouraged him to speak on Bermuda's introduction to pottery and glassware; an event which concurred the opening of A.S. Cooper's first store.

"It was in the 1890s that the tourist business began with pottery from Stoke-on-Trent being first introduced into Bermuda a few years prior to the First World War,'' he said at the time. "By 1914 it has developed very considerably a process that was continued in the 1920s, when it began to reach quite substantial proportions and when too, cut lead crystal table glass began to arrive from Stourbridge.'' In 1950, as in 1897 and 1997, the main aim of A.S. Cooper & Sons, Ltd. is to provide their customers with the quality merchandise they have come to associate with the Cooper name.

According to the journal, "Mr. Cooper, who is now approaching 80, still maintains a keen interest in the firm. He is particularly interested in pottery and glass, whether modern or antique, and is a shrewd judge of Store recognised worldwide as a merchant of fine china and glass quality. It is the aim of the firm to present the tourists, as well as the residents, with the finest ware obtainable.

As one of the leading china and glass stores on the Island, A.S. Cooper & Sons were, at the time, the sole selling agencies for a number of famous British manufacturers. And in 1947, one of the leading producers of floral china in Stoke-on-Trent sent a flower-making artist to the store to demonstrate the making of china flowers. It's a trend which continues to this day with many internationally and locally renowned artists appearing in the store either to display their wares or complete them on site -- events which are always a delight to interested customers.

Said Arthur Cooper at the time: "It proved a great attraction to the tourists. They had never seen anything like it before and it greatly enhanced the prestige of the manufacturer concerned. The flowers modelled were native to Bermuda.'' The tradition of supplying And so the tradition continues...

exquisite china continues today, and is especially recognised through the store's long affiliation with Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. So strong are the ties between the two, that Lord Wedgwood will himself be present as Cooper's celebrates its centennial anniversary, unveiling a plaque in commemoration of that milestone and also in recognition of the binding ties between the two companies.

According to Peter Cooper, managing director of the store, those ties began with his grandfather, A.S. Cooper, and Kennard Wedgwood.

"He developed a friendship with (Mr. Wedgwood) who subsequently became head of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. in America,'' he explained. "A.S. Cooper's was the first account he ever held outside England and America, ever since the mid-30s, prior to the war.

"My grandfather loved fine china and crystal and it was one of his joys, when he saw the tourist business begin to develop in Bermuda, he thought it would be a wonderful product to put in his store to sell to American visitors especially as they could save so much money. The Wedgwood items we sold here costs less than half of what they cost in the US at the time.

"That business friendship developed into a longstanding relationship with the company, so much so that I have a godmother, Nancy, who is a Wedgwood and Hensleigh Wedgwood is godmother to my daughter. So we're going to have Lord Wedgwood come here -- a direct descendant of Josiah Wedgwood, and he will be presenting us with a plaque (today).'' Exquisite silver, as arranged in A.S. Cooper's first store A unique table setting was used to display the fine china on sale in A.S.

Cooper's first Front Street store The plaque which will today be unveiled by Lord Wedgwood in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of A.S. Cooper & Sons Ltd. and their strong trading links with Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd.

A.S. Cooper & Sons Ltd. was known then, as it is today, for its fine crystal COOPERS 100 YEARS BUSINESS BUC COOPERS