33 and 35 High Town Road has been one shop premises for much of its history. A published list of Bedfordshire businesses of about 1890 has an entry for J. Bond, grocer, provision and wine merchant of 33 High Town Road which read as follows: "This business was founded in the year 1846, and has from the commencement constituted a centre of supply for a large and influential circle of patrons of a desirable class. Mr. Bond's premises are of two-storied elevation, and have a good frontage. There are two fine windows, in which there is a high-class display of superior produce, for the supply of which the house has long been noted. Teas form one of the leading items, coffee also receives great attention. Sugars, spices, sauces, including the celebrated "Ottoman" sauce, for which Mr. Bond is the Luton agent, pickles, preserves, potted meats, ham, tongues, fish, lobster etc., and provisions of all other kinds, are also here stocked in great perfection. Mr. Bond is also a wine merchant, and he keeps a very good stock of british and foreign wines. The business receives the personal supervision of the proprietor, who is popular in all societies, and is an able and enterprising representative".

Number 35 was a hardware dealer's shop in 1894 and later a hat tip and lining manufacturer for Luton's thriving hat making trade. This business thrived for about half a century before being replaced by a sub post office. At the time of writing [2011] the property is a small supermarket.

The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. The valuer visiting 33 and 35 High Town Road [DV1/R59/12] found them owned by the trustees of Samuel Kilby and leased to S. Kilby and Company, hat tip and lining manufacturers. A cellar measured 17 feet by 23 feet; interestingly this entry has been annotated, perhaps during World War Two, “now Public Shelter for 32”. There were two shop areas on the ground floor measuring 17 feet by 15 feet and 17 feet by 8 feet. A machine room measured 10 feet square and contained a one horsepower motor with 8 feet of 1¼ inch shafting. A workroom measuring 26 feet by 32 feet occupied the first floor. A garage measuring 14 feet by 17 feet stood outside with a storeroom measuring 10 feet by 27 feet which may have been above the garage though this is not directly stated.

A later visit, in 1928 [DV1/AP9/3] noted that six people worked in the workroom and one in the shop, which sold hat linings made on the premises and cotton reels. There was “Very little Retail Trade just a few Reels of Cotton”.

Directories for Bedfordshire were published every few years from 1839, for example, the beginning of the 20th century has directories for 1903, 1906, 1910 and 1914. Countywide directories ceased to be published during the Second World War, the last for Bedfordshire being in 1940. Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has directories just for Luton for 1939, 1950, 1960, 1965, 1968, 1972, 1974 and 1975. The first street numbers in High Town Road begin to appear in directories in 1885 but it looks as if there was some renumbering of properties on the odd side of the road between 1890 and 1894.

• c.1890; 33 - J. Bond, grocer;
• 1894: 35 – Solomon Rosenthall, hardware dealer;
• 1898: 35 – Mrs. Ethel Rosenthall, hardware dealer;
• 1903: 35 - Samuel Kilby, hat tip and lining manufacturer and straw hat material dealer;
• 1906: Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers and straw hat material dealers;
• 1910: 35 – Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1914: 35 – Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1920: 35 – Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1924: 35 – Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1928: Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1931: Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1936: Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1939: S. Kilby & Sons;
• 1940: Samuel Kilby & Sons, hat tip and lining manufacturers;
• 1950: S. Kilby & Sons;
• 1960: HighTown Post Office (R. H. Stevens, postmaster);
• 1965: HighTown Post Office (R. H. Stevens, postmaster);
• 1968: HighTown Post Office (R. H. Stevens, postmaster), china, glass, stationery and fancy goods;
• 1972: HighTown Post Office;
• 1974: HighTown Post Office;
• 1975: High Town Post Office;
• 2011: Premier Supermarket.