Out Today With My Pals And Of All The Subjects We Discussed, Was The Corner Shop

[Bobbisox1]

And how valuable it was to to our Community, it was a place for discussing the open secrets of the street ,it was where Mam sent you with a note for tha Lb of sugar in the blue bag or the 1/2 lb of best butter cut with a wire,a bag of broken biscuits , it was the hub of many a street

[gness]

Still is here, Bobbi in wild Wild West of Ireland with the addition of the place to drop off Amazon ordered goodies. ;-)

[Bobbisox1]

I think that’s lovely Gness , you’re so lucky

[Buenchico]

One probably needed to live in older housing to have been served by a traditional corner shop. I was brought up on a council estate, that was built at around the time of my birth (1953), where we had separate shops for the newsagent, the butcher, the grocer, the household goods store, etc.

So I never encountered a corner shop until, in my primary school years, my mother would sometimes take me to visit 'Auntie Joan' (who was actually just a friend of hers) in an older part of the town.

I can't remember ever entering it myself but I do remember 'Auntie Joan' constantly sending the older of her two sons to fetch "two Senior Service" from the shop for her. She sometimes expressed her frustration that the shop wouldn't serve her other son, as the shopkeeper said that he was too young. So she was forced to send the 8-year-old, rather than the 5-year-old, to buy her ciggies ;-)

[Bobbisox1]

Strange awakenings today Chris of a vey close knit community

[gness]

You’re right about the open secrets though. When Dave pops into the village I make sure he goes to C’s to get me the latest gossip. ;-)

[Bobbisox1]

I was young but old enough to know the
So and so is ‘ confined’ again ( pregnant ) Really, I thought he’d left her and had a fling with her up in ???
All I went for was a sherbet dab :0))

[douglas9401]

From the morning
Past the evening
To the end of the light

[LadyCG]

Have you had your brimful of asha, Doug?

[Bobbisox1]

I’m sure Dougs answer means something, what?I don’t know
Good morning Lcg

[naomi24]

Village shops are still like that. The hub of the community.

[Bobbisox1]

Back to my OP
I loved our little corner shops , one at either side of our street , top and bottom, the owners were more like extended family

[barry1010]

I remember the lady in the corner shop cutting the green off the bacon before putting it on the lovely red slicer; cutting the mould off the cheese (sharp or mild was the choice) before slicing it with the wire - always just over, never under the weight asked for; selling single cigarettes and one match to children; giving tick and putting notes in the window *Mrs Jones, you still haven't settled your tick*; letting me spend ages to choose my selection of penny sweets, served in a triangle cone of greaseproof paper (dread to think how many people had coughed, sneezed, dripped all over them).

She always had a fag hanging out of her mouth, it fascinated me to watch the ash grow and grow, the suspense of waiting it to fall.

I remember the barbed comments - best ham? you've got visitors, then'. She knew when my mother was pregnant before she did.

[Bobbisox1]

Our once small village is no more with the onset of new builds on the green belt , I believe it has ‘small ‘ town status now, so the only shop that fits the bill is the paper shop / post office

[Bobbisox1]

Gosh Barry, what a dreadful woman

[LadyCG]

Doug's humour again...

[lady-janine]

I remember going into what, in my childhood, had been my corner shop after a period of about 12/15 years and being greeted by the same owner with 'hello. long time since I saw you',
me ' pardon',
her 'well, you're Sam's girl, I'd recognise you anywhere. How are you?'.

[MissTerious]

On our only visit to Ireland Gness(about 15 years ago) I was amazed how all the shops had remained in the 60s, even lots of products. I spent ages looking for basil and oregano, to no avail. Only salt and pepper! Loved that holiday. Stayed in County Clare on the coast. Beautiful. Were there at the time of the festival where all the folks go partner searching. Loads of Americans!! I got approached, even though hubby was with me!

[Redhelen72]

I have been very lucky had had a corner shop in 90% of the places I have lived (if you count the NAFFI) even on the outskirts of Belfast and London we had corner shops.

[MissTerious]

New estates were built with corner shops right into the 60s. London had loads.

[LadyCG]

I used to love going down the shop for my 10p mix. You've made me feel all nostalgic now, Bobbi.