To miss the excitement of 90's shops

[JunoLunar]

Warning: pointless nostalgia
I love shopping but it's such a dull experience these days.
Maybe it was because I was younger and had such little disposable income. I miss shops selling you a 'lifestyle' as i really only get that feeling in IKEA now.
In particular I miss:
Body shop: the little shaped sponges of oranges, lemons, strawberries and the coordinating sprays, bubble baths and those little iridescent balls that went in the bath.
Disney shop: DD was obsessed with Encanto at Christmas and I had to trawl through what they had on so many different online shops. It would be amazing to have a Disney shop to see all the different merchandise and let her choose a few things. I remember the excitement of the lion king coming out and seeing the big displays with all the cuddly toys. I chose a pencil case with different compartments which hid rubbers, pens etc, think it had a calculator too (high tech!)
The Pier: totally up my hippie mums street. Used to have one of those CD players where you could listen to a snippet of rain music, whale music, wolves howling! Did anyone buy those cds? Also selling us the dream of a coloured glass bowl of water with floating tea lights which definitely didn't end up either getting spilt or left to go mouldy on the book shelf. I remember how grown up I felt buying a wooden cat which came in a stars and moon print paper bag.
Waterstones: I still love it now but loved it even more when there was no Amazon or kindles and you had to proper commit to a book to pay £8 for the hard cover.
HMV: I bought the single of 'Smooth' by Santana on tape and the long haired guy behind the till said 'nice choice'. I was sure I could write for Kerrang magazine based on that comment alone.
Also Debenhams in Bristol had in interactive forest with talking trees and a fake drive in cinema with little cars you could sit in and watch Disney films. It was basically ok for your parents to dump you there whilst they shopped. I vaguely remember going there but we never bought anything as it was ' too dear'.

Chelsea girl and Tammy girl and Dolcis!!

I miss Tammy Girl.

There's nothing else like Tammy Girl that exists.

And the magic of the Warner Bros store... million times better than Disney store.

I actually bought a vintage 1991 Warner Bros belt in a charity shop last week for 1 whole pound, someone has unfortunately carved a cock on Taz chin though.

Aww love these nostalgia threads - 90s were such a happy time for me. Haven't thought of the Pier or Athena in 25 years! Many happy days spent wafting round the shops on a Sat afternoon buying little bits from Boots and Body Shop, a single from Our Price or a pendant from Tammy or getting the tube to Oxford Street and the big Top Shop if you had some cash to splash! I just don't think kids today will ever have that - all too busy bothering with social media, likes, pics etc. Read a quote recently that really resonated with me in that this was the last period before we were all sucked up by technology and I think that's so true.

@JunoLunar if you like ‘lifestyle’ shops try Sostrene Grene if you have one nearby. To me it feels like a cross between ikea and muji, with a sprinkle of twee but nothing too cath kidston.
I always come out with a frippery I don’t need

YY to Tammy girl. I remember my mum taking me shopping there for crop top and pant sets when I was still pre-bra, and I was so excited.

Also, miss selfridge with the sparkly make up and spice girl trainers.

Yes , loved browsing Athena.
There was a Mediterranean shop that sold all sorts of pottery and painted pottery. I’ve still got some.

And the magic of the Warner Bros store... million times better than Disney store

Yes! They sold Friends merchandise iirc

Yes, I miss 90s Body Shop! I was just thinking at Christmas that I'd have love to put together one those baskets with the little fruity soaps and bath pearls for my tween DD.

I grew up in the NE, and the Metro Centre in Gateshead was a place of wonder. I was particularly fond of the Mediterranean Village - my mates and I used to spend hours just mouching about in there.

And I have very fond memories of Fenwicks food hall. We used to go there once a month (just after pay day) and mum and grandma would treat us all to lovely cheese from the deli counter, and cream cakes from the bakery. Mum would get herself some nice coffee beans freshly ground from the coffee counter too.

Sigh. I wish it was possible to take a little holiday in your own past!

Ah, fond memories! I used to love The Pier, Athena, Miss Selfridge, maybe a browse in French Connection if they had a sale. I had a Saturday job in the 90s in Body Shop so had an endless supply of their stuff - my friends used to beg me for freebies 😁. You could spend a whole day in a shopping centre (we often did!). This one is very specific, but in Lewisham shopping centre, their Littlewoods had a great cafe - it had obviously been created in the 60s and everything was brown, orange and maroon. It had little booths with spotted Formica tables and the ceiling lights were glowing orange globes. I loved having lunch there with my mum. I think it’s a TKMaxx now 😥. Someone should have preserved that cafe interior, it was like stepping into Austen Powers!

I loved The Pier

I bought my first flat in 2004 and still have Pier furniture it may look dated to some but will come round again i still love the look

Got my first bra from a department store, like Debenhams but cheaper. Was it Littlewoods ?

@vixeyann
You described my 1990s saturdays! Sometimes we used to go to Covent garden but not buy very much too.
.. and then probably went home to watch Gladiators!🤣

And why have things deteriorated?
High street rents and rates?
LA car parking charges?
Shops run by accountants, augmented by selling off freehold, leveraging up the balance sheet and withdrawing massive dividends/private equity flipping leaving them vulnerable to any downturn?
Then foor the last decade? online competition without the cost base from the above.
Shoppers unwilling or financially unable to prioritise quality.
Shops taking their eye off the merchandising ball - arguably periodically M and S clothing, Debenhams, HoF and BHS.
Interesting that some nations in Western Europe seem to have avoided the above and maintained an interesting High Street.

Did we all have one of those long-haired guys in HMV moments???

I am still sad about my blue wine glasses from the Pier breaking. My dining table is still going strong though.

My town centre (like all town centres) had a hippy shop, selling crystals, nirvana tshirts, green nail polish and various weird smelling stuff. It seemed so cool.

@NinaDefoe

The PIER! I lived in rented houses when that shop was around and longed to buy all the lovely stuff they sold. By the time I had my own place they had closed. Is there anywhere remotely like it now?

Omg I adored this shop! Only ever could afford a wine glass but I planned my whole house in my head

Yes! I miss the variety of shops and the general excitement of it (mind you, I was a teenager then, I don’t think those shops would stock the size of clothes I am now)

I remember in the 1990's we had a shop called country charm, loved going in there, selling pot pourri and pine furniture. I remember getting my house a few years later and the shop was closed down. As a teen I loved our price and tower records, so so sad when they shut down.

I definitely miss the thrill of music shops like HMV. It felt like a discovery rather than just a shop and I’d see friends in there looking at cds and we’d talk about gigs etc. Good days.

I think in part it's a thing about getting older and increasing responsibilities. So back in our 20s time rich/cash poor.

It was a delight to go shopping. Finishing with a trip to M&S foodhall for some easy Saturday night food. Back home in time for the Brookside omnibus! Ah, good times.

@Lady1576 yes haha

Ah Brookside I loved it @LizzieMacQueen

I’ve been watching it on YouTube again

@WhyPaulMemory

Ah, fond memories! I used to love The Pier, Athena, Miss Selfridge, maybe a browse in French Connection if they had a sale. I had a Saturday job in the 90s in Body Shop so had an endless supply of their stuff - my friends used to beg me for freebies 😁. You could spend a whole day in a shopping centre (we often did!). This one is very specific, but in Lewisham shopping centre, their Littlewoods had a great cafe - it had obviously been created in the 60s and everything was brown, orange and maroon. It had little booths with spotted Formica tables and the ceiling lights were glowing orange globes. I loved having lunch there with my mum. I think it’s a TKMaxx now 😥. Someone should have preserved that cafe interior, it was like stepping into Austen Powers!

We had the same, great cafe with original retro seats and tables, now a pound shop. We had another one that was at the top of Woolworths overlooking the Thames, again all gone. :(

Sadly we vote with our feet regarding the high street. People now want everything the next day from Amazon etc. The high street won’t survive. Like @Zilla1 said.

90s nostalgia of any sort isn’t just typical nostalgia.

It was the last decade really of things being a certain way before it all changed so there’s more to it than just looking back at childhood/teen years. Those who were young in the 60s/70s/80s could still as adults revisit experiences but that’s near impossible now - due to many things - the internet and online shopping, phones -yes and the final nail in the coffin-covid. Sounds depressing but it is sadly how it is.

I miss so much about the 90s