An Ely author has penned a compelling tale about the true story of four young women who worked in a glamorous Cambridge department store in the 1950s.

Cambs Times: Shop Girls by Ely author Ellee SeymourShop Girls by Ely author Ellee Seymour (Image: Archant)

Ellee Seymour is about to launch her book, Shop Girls, which she describes as the charming true story of Eve, Irene, Betty and Rosemary, who worked at the exclusive Heyworth’s store in Cambridge in what they saw as a dream come true job.

Ms Seymour said: “Once the girls step inside the elegant building - surrounded by luxurious dresses and beautiful accessories - the hardships of their own lives are temporarily forgotten.

“Serving a variety of curious customers, from glamorous gypsy queens to genuine royalty and stuffy academics to the city’s fashionable elite, the store is a place where these young women can forge successful careers, under the ever-watchful eye of flamboyant owner Mr Heyworth.”

Set against the backdrop of the closing years of the Second World War, and moving into the 1950s, The Shop Girls captures the camaraderie and friendship of four ambitious young women working together in a store that offered them an escape from the drudgery of their wartime childhoods.

Published on September 25, The Shop Girls recreates a bygone era of impeccable customer service and attention to detail in high end stores of the day.

Ms Seymour said: “I had great fun researching and writing about the fabulous elegant ladies department store.

“It closed its doors 49 years ago, yet the vivid memories of its shop girls and the flamboyant lifestyle of its owner, Herbert Heyworth, could have come straight from the pages of Mr Selfridge, who himself had connections with Cambridge.

Updates about The Shop Girls can be found on a dedicated Facebook page.