Proper old fashioned local shops

Since moving back up to the north east, wife and I have been slowly phasing out our dependence on supermarkets in favour of local independent shops. Its cheaper, better quality stuff, and you get the banter too.

Today I went into our local butcher's shop. Its the third week in a row the lad and I went to this particular one, but the first time I think we were recognised as regulars

This just doesn't happen in the big faceless supermarkets. The butcher, an old man built like a tank, struck up a conversation with us. It must have taken a good fifteen minutes to buy just a few things because we were just gabbing. Then, he pointed to a tray with ready cooked sausages on and asked me to help myself, so my son and I had some (free) beef sausages. As we were eating them, he explained that he makes them up out of all the beef he hasn't sold that week, to save it going to waste. He also pointed out that they were much, much cheaper than the pork sausages I've been buying off him. So I bought some. He advised me to either eat them today or freeze them today and use them within a month. All the while the emphasis was on the fact that it was the old beef that was going past its best, ie the bits that didn't sell. No marketing spin, they are not made from 'select cuts of prime beef' or 'hand made by a team of swedish blondes' or anything. I think his exact words were 'its the beef that didn't sell through the week, minced and spiced and sold cheap, any that don't sell be time I close on saturday goes t staff for tea'. How often these days do you get honesty like that.

 

That sounds awful Armandii. Same as when I lived in Sheffield (or so it seemed). I thought it would be the same everywhere but on finding that there are a few survivors round here, I'm determined that although I can't single handedly save them, if I buy from them then at least I'm one extra customer for them. I'd hate to see the supermarkets win completely.

 

We still have a weekly Fish Man who loads up daily at the Fish Quay and delivers door to door. I say weekly because he had a pre-determined route daily and we only see him on a Thursday.
What he does do is go into all the smaller streets and parks outside the homes of his regulars. He even delivers personally to those elderly customers who find it difficult to actually go out to the van.
Initially he came into our estate to us because we met him in another estate and asked if he ever came our way. He now has about 20 stops just on our estate.
Fresh eggs, bread crumbs, Parsley sauce, Fish Cakes and most sorts of fish (Smoked mackeral, Cod, Haddock, Hake, Dover Sole, dressed Crab + paste, Salmon, Langustines etc.
Even the prices are good - cheaper & fresher than the local supermarkets.
No wonder he is a popular guy. And his name is George Perfect - go figure

 

I think that's half the battle. Business rates in some parts just force the independents out. Lucky for me, in the part of town I've moved to, which is like a village within the town, it is considered to be a skint area. Socially deprived I think is the term, although for the most part its a nice neighbourhood. because of its skint status, I imagine business rates are lower than average, and I know that property prices here are below average. I guess that means that independents can compete here. In the town centre they wouldn't stand a chance, and indeed in recent years we've seen lots of shops close. All the surviving independents are in the less 'mainstream' parts of town. I.e. this bits the local authorities have all but written off.

 

Fortunately we have one remaining fish/poulterers shop in our area. at one time we had a Butchers van,Quality,and a Fresh Fruit van,Quality,unfortunately they are long gone.
We now have a huge ASDA and a Tesco.The wife shops sometime in both shops.
One day she purchased fish from ASDA.the fish looked good and actually tasted good and was very cheap. I asked her what kind of fish it was,she replied " Vietnamese River Cod". Out of curiosity I Googled the fish !,never ate it again.

 

We still have an old fashioned 'ironmonger' here. The shop front still has the look that it came out of the 'ark' and the staff still wear overalls. The shop itself is a goldmine and fascinating to look around. You can buy anything from a single washer for screws, bolts etc to a garden incinerator. Tools, kitchen equipment, the lot. I'm quite often in there looking for something that the likes of DIY stores can't supply. Prices are reasonable and the staff polite and helpful. It's the only place on the island now that I can buy good old fashioned Windowlene in a pink plastic bottle. I still think it's best for cleaning windows.

 

Ah Yes,The old fashioned ironmongers,many years since i have seen one of them,brings back memories.The one we HAD,had 100s of shelves and drawers and everything was marked alphabetically.They had a big ladder which was set on casters,
like the old fashioned Library stairs..
Not a Computer in sight,everything was done by Memory and Organization.

 

There used to be one round this way. The lady who ran it used to advertise "you can get anything here from a packet of seeds to a screw" - until her slogan made The News Quiz then she changed it.

 

In the massive ships refitting store.In Plymouth

We had a 4'6" Wren called 2 BA worked there

Jack McHammocklashing

 

Does anyone remember Ronnie Barker and David Jason in Open All Hours. A great series. The dodgy till was a good prop too.

 

The Medallion episode is a classic

 

To Be Avoided? - was she that bad?

 

Clueless - thanks for starting this! I was going to do something similar after getting on my high horse a little bit on another thread (mention fleabay and I go off on one!).

I live in a town of 26000 people, yet we have just three butchers, one baker and no greengrocers or fishmongers.
If I buy 28day matured beef from my butchers it's smaller than what I would get from the s/market (not matured, probably still has a pulse) for the same money, but when it comes out of the oven it has hardly shrunk but the s/market stuff will be smaller (and bland tasting). My butcher sells chicken breasts on the bone - so much better.

We do still have a grocer and fishmonger attend the market thankfully, and my local corner shop gets bread delivered from a local baker, so I still don't have to give too much money to the supermarkets.