Change of use.

I had bit of spare time this afternoon while I waited for the car to have its MOT. So, I walked along part of the Oxford Road in Reading, it's interesting to see what this shop used to be and what it is now. With a quick bit of Googling I discovered that Dunlops used to trade here from 1900 until the early 1950's. Also, I was intrigued about what a 'Straw Factor' was and found the following: 
 A "Straw Factor" was someone employed by merchants or businesses to act as a middleman when buying and selling straw. This was specifically related to raw straw, something which was used in huge quantities not only for professions such as thatching and brick-making but to cover muddy paths in towns and cities, not to mention the decorative industries like hat-making and furniture makers.