What was your favourite shop as a child?

[ohellio]

My mum used to take us to the local florist. It was more than a florist though; it sold things like bird seed in little plastic tubs (which I used to stand and push my hands through - I still love that feeling to this day). They sold dog leads and I used to save my pocket money so I could buy a new one every now and again for my little toy dog that I carried around. I still remember the smell of the green oasis stuff that the flowers were stuck into, and the smell of the bird peanuts. They had a lovely, elderly black and white cat called Crackers who just LOVED the strokes. We called it 'Cracker's Shop'.

I also have fond memories of our local Safeway as it was the first time I was allowed out unsupervised. It was only to buy a pint of milk, but MY GOD I still remember the fear that I'd get to the till and not have enough money.

I'd love to hear about other's favourite / most memorable childhood shops.

A very traditional independent shoe shop (it was old fashioned even in the 70's). The smell of the leather, the assistants all wearing blue overalls and climbing up ladders to get to the shoe boxes. When you had got your shoes you could then ride on an old rocking horse with a beautiful leather saddle.

Sadly the shop wich was in my home town closed about 15 years ago

A visit to Clarks is just not the same.

Fenwick's Newcastle and Callers Pegasus a furniture store.

Fenwick's I still love.... Fabulous perfume department and just a lovely vibe.

Callers had a stream and little bridge inside .... From which you could throw a coin and make a wish .. it was magical to a little girl.

Ooh this is a lovely thread!

I was a big hippie as a kid and there was a shop near me that sold all things alternative and woo-woo.

Dreamcatchers, worry dolls, incense, LOTS of pan-pipe CDs... everything was purple and covered in feathers and I thought it was MAGICAL

whsmith - read magazines for free and feed stationery fetish.

WH Smith's.

I used to get a £5 voucher from my godmother every Christmas and I could get a pile of books with it.

They also sold stationery, records, magazines...it was heaven.

Makes me sad to see it now.

Any pet shop 🐶🐱🐭🐹🐰

I used to love the health food shop near us too. They sold jacket potato crisps, tiger nuts, colt's foot rock and yoghurt peanuts.

We also used to buy cinnamon sticks and smoke them

Rossiters. An independent shop back home. Apparently Are you being served was based on It. Unfortunately it's gone now. I have lovely memories of it.

The Bead shop and Neals Street East both in Covent Garden were my teenage haunts. The latter was an emporium for a wonderous range of Chinese and Indian fripperies. Sadly both are gone

I used to love the independent and very old fashioned stationary shop with pencils, rubbers, pens, nibs, post cards etc all arranged beautifully .
My other favourite was the bookshop where they were always kind enough to take not only book tokens but WH Smith or Boots ones too.

I loved Woolworths for the records section. Happy memories.

The sweet shop! It was only small and the bit behind the counter was covered in shelves filled with hundreds of jars of a huge range of sweets. We'd go in with our money and ask for a 5p or 10p mix-up or a quarter of kaylie (sorry, I don't know how to spell it! That coloured sugary stuff) or coal dust or bonbons or whatever. The lady would get the jar, weigh out the contents and tip it into a little paper bag that she sealed by giving it a little twist. The shop isn't there any more but I have found memories (and all my own teeth, surprisingly!)

There was a toy shop near my grandma’s house where the entire floor was carpeted with those mats with roads on that you play with toy cars on - remember loving walking along the roads round the shop.

Love all of these. Amazing how we carry all of these memories.

We also used to have a farm shop nearby us which had the most wonderful fruit and veg selection. They were displayed in those big wooden box things. They smelt so earthy and were covered in mud. I still remember that smell to this day. I take my DC to the shop now, 30 years on, and they love it too.

@Hairydilemma My friend once shagged a bloke whose entire flat was carpeted in that road playmat stuff.

Dawson's toy shop in Bristol. They always had a life sized figure made out of Lego and the best Sindy dolls and accessories.

Woolworths for cds and pick n mix
Tammy Girl, MK1 and Unique for clothes

It's a Gift. Tables and tables of cheap tat. I used to buy everyone's Christmas Presents from there.

And, this will completely out me to anyone from my old school, our local uniform/wool shop "Gaywear". It sold Ladybird clothes, so we called it the Ladybird Shop. You could randomly buy old comics for 1/2 p each.

The Co-op where my Grandmother shopped, butter was patted into shape and stamped before being wrapped, bacon sliced with a huge red machine, slivers of cheese cut from large rounds to taste, the smell of fresh bread, chatter all around...

The fabric shop my mother loved, checked gingham for kitchen curtains, ecru lace for the large bedroom, Indian cottons for summer frocks, silver and pink shimmering brocade for my room, pale blue soft thick wool for my winter coat and hat, tassels and braids for the detailed pelmets Mum made, rainbows of threads to admire, and best of all the clanking bell jangling containers that zoomed on intricate overhead routes carrying payment and change.

WH Smiths for the paper and art supplies also beanie babies.

A Local book shop for the £1 Enid Blyton books when I was 9/10 they used to let me buy them on tick because they knew my Nan

The local chemist as I got older as they always had the most fascinating things.

A shop in Liverpool called Blacklers. Think it was dept store but best but was the basement- loads of big bins of random cheapo stationery and craft stuff. At least I think!!! Was nearly 40! Years ago but I have lovely memories of going with my Granny (and am hoping I have bred invented them😂)

Hibbard's was a cake shop think bought out by Greg's here in London bit there cream doughnuts were the best every Saturday went there to buy bread and rolls for my mum and a cake as a treat

When I was tiny I used to love going to Early Learning Centre. It always had the Wendy house out and the wooden train track and I used to love playing with them. I didn’t actually realise you could buy the stuff, I thought it was just somewhere to play!

Every time we went to town I would mither my mum and my gran to go in and they always used to make me wait - probably so I’d behave going round all the boring shops.

Also wimpy for there knickerbocker glories

I loved the NAAFI as a child. I was biased after winning a football on a prize draw though...