Abraham Rose was born in Norwich but his parents moved to Cardiff in 1904. The son of a tailor, he worked as an errand boy in Jothams tailors in High Street, Cardiff - the very premises that he would later purchase for his own menswear business in 1922. He also owned premises in Wellfield Road, Cardiff and in Newport.

A Rose was acutely aware of the advantages that presentation and advertising could bring to a business, and his career was distinguished by innovative widow displays and unique promotions. The A Rose branch in Wellfield Road – which opened in 1961 – was awarded third place in the Cardiff Shopping Festival Window Dressing Competition. The scrapbook in this collection provides ample evidence of the range and humour of his promotional work.