Dearly departed shops :-(
Discussion
Pickled said:
Hub said:
Record shops in general. Berwick Street in Soho about 15 years ago as a student was fantastic. Only one or two small ones left there now, as well as all the high street chains that have also disappeared. I have to admit to moving online for music, but perusing the shops (such as the bargain basement of the Music and Video Exchange) was a delight!
This reminds me, as a young teen I was very much into the Mod revival & 2Tone scene would always be up Carnaby St, great record shops in basements, as well as the clothes, I even remember the Lonsdale shop at one end, before it became an in house Sports Direct label worn by chavs. Another part of London that has become (sadly) yet another identikit high st.
TV Rental shops. Granada, DER, Radio Rentals. Not many people bought TV's and VCR's ( VHS tape recorders). I rented at the time, one of the first front loading VHS recorders from Granada. It was huge and branded as Granada (probably made by JVC), and a TV with six big buttons on the front enclosed in a nice piece of Teak wood. No remotes in those days, i used a Snooker cue.
Arcadia and Rival Records in Plymouth. Arcadia was, amongst other things, a toy shop. Rival Records was a really decent indie record shop where you were always unsure if you were 'cool' enough to be in there!
Oh, and Bejam. I know it turned into an Iceland in Plymouth but the pre-Katona days were a simpler time.
Oh, and Bejam. I know it turned into an Iceland in Plymouth but the pre-Katona days were a simpler time.
Might have missed it but not seen this place mentioned yet.
Where I had one of my first jobs shelf stacking. I'll never forget walking round a corner catching a fellow stacker drinking out of a large coke bottle then putting it back on the shelf to be sold. To this day I still check that every bottle top is sealed before I buy it.
Westy Pre-Lit said:
Might have missed it but not seen this place mentioned yet.
Where I had one of my first jobs shelf stacking. I'll never forget walking round a corner catching a fellow stacker drinking out of a large coke bottle then putting it back on the shelf to be sold. To this day I still check that every bottle top is sealed before I buy it.
Westy Pre-Lit said:
For me it was Humphreys motorcycle and scooter dealer in Essex Road London. They had infinite patience dealing with spotty 17 year olds wanting widgets for their Vespa's, was always packed on a Saturday.
Also Keymarket which was a "supermarket" in Cheshunt (I'm not sure if they were just local or a chain) my mum love her was always dragging us kids down there.
Also Keymarket which was a "supermarket" in Cheshunt (I'm not sure if they were just local or a chain) my mum love her was always dragging us kids down there.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he32H-lQo7s
For some reason this has stuck in my head for all those years. I hasten to add, I've never visited a store.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he32H-lQo7s
For some reason this has stuck in my head for all those years. I hasten to add, I've never visited a store.
miniman said:
I'm not ashamed to admit that a grotty sausage roll from Greggs hits the spot on occasion, but really, how can they possibly need 2 shops with only one other place between them?
Maybe for handling the vast queues at peak times, every time I pass a Greggs there seems to be a big queue going on. Or maybe it's a transition - perhaps the lease on one of them is up soon and they got a better deal on a new lease on the new one that makes it worth running both for a while. Rather like the back-to-back Waterstones that used to be in Manchester city centre until one closed.Around here (and maybe elsewhere) there's the "Pound Bakery", where pretty much everything is, you guessed it, 80p. Or two for a pound, not that we're encouraging you to buy and eat more than you wanted at all. The only surprise is that Crewe doesn't have one (yet), given that it has at least one of every other cheap tat shop going. But the indie baker Chatwins is still going strong for now at least, for those who are prepared to pay a bit more.
ThePrisoner said:
Talking of Carnaby St, do you remember the ' Carnaby Cavern' shop. Where you could get your Paul Weller Boating jacket and general 60's clobber
Think it was just off Carnaby St. Boating jacket, bowling shoes or desert boots, sta-pressed trousers, Fred Perry polo, fishtail parka or Crombie - the uniform of my youth.
Edited by Pickled on Wednesday 11th November 10:49
Marshalls Music in Bletchley High Street - i used to go in there with my brother when he wanted new guitar strings. Now Marshalls just stick to amplification...
Also Neil's toyshop in Bletchley - I went there as a kid to buy a James Bond submersible Lotus Esprit toy...
Also the Radio Rentals shop - they used to have a replica RCA style aerial on the roof. When the shop shut down the local amateur radio station at Bletchley Park acquired it and used as a real antenna!!
Also Neil's toyshop in Bletchley - I went there as a kid to buy a James Bond submersible Lotus Esprit toy...
Also the Radio Rentals shop - they used to have a replica RCA style aerial on the roof. When the shop shut down the local amateur radio station at Bletchley Park acquired it and used as a real antenna!!
Pickled said:
Flip Martian said:
C & A also have a store in Paris I believe - I remember the irony of chic Paris having a C & A...
.
They also have M&S in Paris - was quite surprised to see people sat in the cafe area eating pre-packed sarnies..
droopsnoot said:
... the indie baker Chatwins is still going strong for now at least
I've had plenty of Chatwins buffets during my career on the railways!On a similar note, in the 1980's there used to be a bakery called "Don Miller's Hot Bread Kitchen" in Sutton Coldfield our family used to go to everytime we went there shopping, which disappeared years ago. To my surprise, when I googled them, they still seem to be in existence 'up North'.
I also remember a shop called Midland Educational in Sutton Colfield and Birmingham, which had some interesting stuff in when I was a kid.
Butter Face said:
opieoilman said:
Butter Face said:
When I was a kid there was a shop called Homeworld near us, it sold everything from soft furnishings to TV's etc.
My grandad used to take us near Christmas as he'd be looking for something nice for my Grandma. I remember hours of fun in that place, watching all the amazing TV's hooked up to VCR's. I think of it this time of year as it's long gone (now a Tesco Extra) as is my grandad (long gone, not a tesco extra
). Good times!
In Pool? I remember Homeworld, bought by first stereo there. They also had RC tanks at one point, I think. They were probably rubbish, but seemed amazing as a kid.My grandad used to take us near Christmas as he'd be looking for something nice for my Grandma. I remember hours of fun in that place, watching all the amazing TV's hooked up to VCR's. I think of it this time of year as it's long gone (now a Tesco Extra) as is my grandad (long gone, not a tesco extra
). Good times!Just had to look on Google as swear blind Sainburys retained the blocks but now it's just a plain wall.
Back to the OP - Hein Gericke for us bikers.
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