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Out Today With My Pals And Of All The Subjects We Discussed, Was The Corner Shop
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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
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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 ;-)
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 ;-)
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.
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.
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!
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