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.

Gamages in Holborn my Mum used to take me at half term up to meet my Dad from work and they would take me to Santas grotto and I would get a present.

We had a DIY store that had a huge makeshift style house in the middle of it with lots of different rooms showing furniture, kitchens, bathrooms etc. Think like a mini 80's ikea.

I used to love playing house in the different rooms, I could have whiled away hours in there pretending to put my children to bed and making cakes in the kitchen. There was also a little cafe that did milkshakes - I was probably the most excited kid ever to be going to a hardware store!

dawnc27 did you grow up in the West Midlands?

Fenwicks toy department in Newcastle in Eldon Square, Athena for stationery and Woolworths for pick n mix

Not a shop as such, but the scrappies and the wood yard with my dad 😊

A very small local department store. There was an old fashioned rocking horse in there. It was so old no one was allowed on it, but I just liked seeing it. I understood that rocking horses were fabulously expensive and not something normal people ever had.

For all those who loved Woolies you can still have fun spotting the old buildings on high streets around the country. Look for the white tiling outside.

Ooh and the 'scoop shop' that sold all loose foods you had to scoop into wee bags like nuts, cereals, spices and such like, loved that place!

As lovingly catalogued here: wooliesbuildings.wordpress.com

Ah Woolly - great Blacklers memories!! Love it! I think I remember the cafe - were the tables sort of partitioned off, with glass in between?! I might be thinking of somewhere else.

I love all the memories on this thread. It's amazing how some things stay with you.

Children's World in MK

RS McColl's (now Martin's) in the nearest town to our little village which I thought was an Aladdin's cave! Then Mad Mike's opened up next door, which was like an early Poundstretcher type place. I vividly remember getting Deely Boppers from there!
I also loved the cafe in BHS.

Keddie's in Southend high street. I loved that shop. Loved looking at the Sindy doll clothes, and at the beautiful fabrics in haberdashery.

Also, the little shoemenders round the corner. It was a tiny little shop like a cupboard, and it always gave me a strange feeling, like being in a lift.

Post office for pick n mix. Back when they were a penny and you could get those fake chocolate cigarettes

The local newsagents growing up. It sold the best penny sweets and sweets in jars and it was so good my friends used to entrust me with their pocket money to get them things. It's a really ugly house now and every time I walk past my heart hurts a bit

Also Owen Owen which smelled like Christmas.

I loved our corner shop in the 1970s- everyone called it Paki's! It wasn't until years later that i realised how racist it was! The owner was the kindest man and even if you went in with 2p, he would give you a decent 'mix-up' bag!

The wool shop.

#Notsohorriblehistory I loved the Pied Peddler in Thame. My mum worked over the road and I used to take DD there before going for a drink and a teacake in the Punch and Judy cafe ☺.

My best shop was a department store called Murray's that had a floating clock going up the middle of the shop. The children's department was on the top floor and sold Ladybird clothes and I remember getting a red dressing gown with ladybird buttons. When I was o!see my dad would take me to the toy section and I would invariably buy a toy car for my garage. I was a strange girl! As a teenager I loved Woolies, Our Price, Athens and a small independent clothes shop where I could get the skinniest jeans from.

As a new mum I loved C&A and Adams.

Oh I used to love Dutton’s. Just looking at all the different coloured buttons and all the designs was so lovely. We then went to the wool shop next door where I would run my hands across all the wool in the little boxes. They looked like ikea shelving before ikea existed. The knitting patterns by the counter with the dolls on the front. And the ‘ding’ of the bell everytime someone walked in or out. Then to wilds for broken biscuits on the way home. Those were the days :)

Redgates. The most wonderful toy shop over several floors in Sheffield. The highlight of any trip into town as a child was to be allowed to look at the toys in there. It closed many years ago but I can still remember the smell of the place - everything new and exciting- happy days.

Woolworths.

If I was really good I could get one of the top 40 singles on CD, a pick and mix and a few of those tiny cans of coke.

Any sweet shop.

They always had shelves with jars of sweets sold by the quarter/2 oz.

Chocolate bars and wrapped sweets on the counter.

And a penny tray

I used to love the lingerie dept of any store. I pronounced it linger-ee though

@BluthsFrozenBananas - I was going to say Lorimers too, and you've described absolutely perfectly the one in the town where I grew up...except you don't mention whether it also had a narrow, steep staircase up to the toys section. Oh my, that ascent was the stairway to heaven!

Did you also grow up in Kent, in a commuter town with a number in its name?

John Lewis Sloane Square in the 80s was a real rabbit warren of small old fashioned departments. DM was a BIG JL fan and we used to go a lot.

There was a rug section near the cafe which had the biggest softest rugs. We used to lie on them as children and just luxuriate in the furry ones. Probably getting them all sticky in the process

There was also a garden furniture section which sold fancy wicker furniture which seemed really modern.

I got lost once there and was "found" by an old lady who took me to the manager's office. This being in the pre mobile phone days of course. I think they had to make a store wide announcement

It's very fancy now of course, but somehow not quite the same.