The department store was opened on the corner of Church Street and Whitby Street by Carter and Company of Stockton and West Hartlepool. George Stephenson had opened a draper's shop on the site in 1856 and when he died, Carter and Co bought the business. In 1898, Carter joined business with Denis Hill and Company of North Shields and Newcastle who had originally made clothes for seamen. The original shop was demolished and a new one built. D Hill, Carter and Company then expanded the business to include upholstery and drapery departments.

in 1937 Blacketts of Sunderland took over the store and also owned shops in Barnard Castle, Stockton and Sunderland. Much like Robinson's, Blacketts was known for its Christmas Toy Fair which for a few years was held in the disused Lex Cinema. In 1970 the Blacketts store closed and in an era before 'pound shops' became the discount Dovecot Salerooms looking and feeling nothing like the original department store.

In 1997, the building was extensively refurbished as a hotel and bar and given its original name as The Hill Carter Hotel. The hotel boasts a large rooftop restaurant with panoramic views around the area.

Gray Peverell & Co. Ltd, clothing and furniture store in Victoria Road,West Hartlepool was opened in 1902 and in 1926 became Binns Department Store.

Matthias Robinson & Sons, department store, Hartlepool was opened in 1875 when Mr Robinson opened a drapery shop in Lynn Street which he quickly expanded into the shop next door. He then bought the large building next to his large drapery shop Manchester House, and called it Lynn House. As his business further grew he took large premises on the other side of Lynn Street calling it The Coliseum  and  in 1912 bought buildings in Whitby Street which he called Birmingham House.

Robinson also built large stores in Stockton and Leeds. The department stores sold almost everything including clothing, furniture and homeware and carpets. Robinson himself was a JP, on the first town council of West Hartlepool and built one of the large properties in Westbourne Road as his home.

Children for many years looked forward to the Robinson's Christmas Bazaar  when Santa would arrive at the station and travel to the store on a house on wheels.

Robinson's stores in Hartlepool, Leeds and Stockton were taken over by Debenhams in 1964 and although the Stockton and Leeds stores remained as Debenhams till the company collapsed in 2020,the Hartlepool store was demolished  around 1970 along with the rest of Lynn Street.