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Shopping -By Gill Yardley

25 January 2024

Shopping - By Gill Yardley

I remember going to the Co-op on the corner of Sunningdale Avenue with Mam, and she sat on a seat by the bacon slicer. We ran round a bit and got told off. The grocer sliced the bacon she asked for- green back, and held it out to her to check that it was the right thickness then cut the rest. The slicer made a screeching noise.

Rations still applied on some things, most importantly sweets so we had these things called Frollies, boiled fruit similar to the Spangles that followed. Jam was imported from Australia and came in tins- Peach or peach. Eurgh we didn’t like it. The label said Koo and I thought that was something to do with Kangaroos but apparently not. 

Cheese was cut by a wire into a wedge shape. There would be a small amount the taste but I only recall cheddar. The Co-op had a fruit shop, fishmonger, and butchers close by.   The shop assistant in a white overall wrote the totals in pencil on a scrap of paper as she went along and added it up in her head at the end. It was not itemised but always seemed to be correct. Check number 5354 was taken and a green slip of paper hand over for the ‘divi’ which mounted up. 

The divi- Dividend was important. It was collected from the General Wolfe, just inside Holmsdale Road, up some wooden stairs. This was between the Co-op Fruit and Veg, and the fishmongers. Opposite was the Emporium, where they seemed to sell everything. It had several floors and a concertina lift. If you bought something in there, the bill was paid, with the money being placed in a canister. This then whizzed up to the Emporium dome, to be confirmed by the cashier up there on a lofty throne with a pencil to write PAID on. It soon whizzed back and landed neatly on the counter.  

Sugar came in a big sack and got decanted into blue bags. You could buy the sack this came in for two shillings to make a rag rug to put in front of the fire. Mostly the fire was coke and it glowed rather than burned as the goodness had been removed from it. This also came from the Co-op, there was a small building at the bottom of Lockhurst Lane bridge near the Fent shop where you ordered and paid. Then we were instructed to count the bags when men looking like black and white minstrels with just their eyes showing, tipped it into our coal shed. 
L. De Cani had the “all sorts” shop on the corner of Roland Avenue where you could buy even just one screw. Further along Holbrook Lane was the Little Dust Pan, hardware shop. The Paper Shop was next to the butchers Harry Hewitt. I hated going in there as he teased us and I never understood- jus knew I was scared of him.  

Further along Holbrook Lane towards Burnaby Rd there was Whiteheads Flowers, just after the open maw of the Graveyard where the bridge shaped entrance as a bit scary. There was a little cobblers on the corner of the Brookville building. After the school there was a sweet shop that sold all kinds of liquorice – pipes and wires where you blew down it to make the ball move. Laces and sticks were also mouth blackening, and Kali was very popular. This was a yellow sugar that you licked off the paper. 

Mrs Chittys wool shop was here you could save the wool the cost to be spread over several weeks so that the dye run matched. Next to that was the Northampton Shoe Shop where I had my built up shoes from. On the bridge the chemist sold liquorice wood which we chewed for ever. 

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