INVESTORS are looking to secure the 84-year history of Blustons – the iconic ladies’ clothing store in Kentish Town – for generations to come with a bid to buy the shop and keep running it “as much like it is now as it can possibly be”.

There was widespread outcry last week when the New Journal revealed that owner Michael Albert was to retire and would be putting the landmark shop in Kentish Town Road on the market.

Many feared the unique interiors, which have remained largely un­changed since the store was opened by Mr Albert’s grandparents in 1931, would be lost forever, to be replaced by a chain coffee shop or estate agent.

But Gavin Juniper, who has made a formal offer to Mr Albert, said: “Like most people, I read about it when it was put online. I thought that if it closes and if it becomes anything else it’s going to be like Kentish Town having a tooth pulled out. 

“I said to my wife: ‘I’m going to put an offer in, because if I don’t then it could end up being a Starbucks and we just don’t want that.”

Mr Juniper, who runs House Presso, an estate agents and coffee bar in Fortess Road and Gospel Oak, said: “What we want to do is have almost like a collective of people that are mainly clothing retailers. If the offer is accepted it’s not going to be a coffee bar or an estate agent. 

“I’m talking to somebody about getting the finance together and then the long-term plan would be to sell off shares and make it like a John Lewis collective, protecting it for the future with more than one person owning it.”

Mr Juniper has spent the past six years, working alongside  business partner Amon Amouzandeh, establishing House Presso, which he describes as “an estate agency which is a bit more friendly to the community”. 

Mr Albert, 67, is considering the offer. Mr Juniper said: “We had a chat with Michael and said we wouldn’t really change anything. Even if he’s detached from it, it’s nice to know that somebody’s not going to come in and rip apart 80 years of your family’s business. Because I think it looks great when you go in there. 

“With some different ideas of what to sell, people will start going in.”

Portraits of Samuel and Jane Blustons at the back of the shop could continue to keep a watchful eye over the new proprietors.

“We asked him, if you want to take them with you, can we get copies of them and have them in the same place,” said Mr Juniper. “He started laughing and said: ‘Are you for real?’ 

“The way I see it, some companies would spend £1million trying to make a place look like that, so why would we want to touch it?”

In 2008, the shop’s sign and glass frontage were given Grade II-listing by English Heritage, which means they must be maintained by any future proprietor. 

Mr Albert said he welcomed the idea of protecting the store’s legacy and was considering the offer, adding: “It’s just a matter of choosing between selling it and renting it out.”