Which defunct shops/restaurants do you miss the most?

[Hairbrush123]

For me, Topshop. Was really gutted when it closed down. Restaurant: Herman ze German. Expensive but always enjoyed the food!

I don't miss it but the nostalgia of a Jane norman bag to take to school! I thought I was so cool.

And Kookai!

Like others have mentioned it’s the whole experience I miss. I used to love going into the city and just having a wander round with friends. Habitat was the IKEA of the 80s/early 90s and I kitted out my first house from there, I particularly loved their big chunky mugs.

There was BoodleAm as someone mentioned and One World ( I think) which sold crafts from round the world.

Mothercare, I still remember the excitement when I was pregnant of going in there and choosing everything from the cot and pushchair to , babygros and vests. Is there anywhere you can do that now?

A big out of town Allders which then changed to BHS where you could buy brilliant lighting and have a coffee.

Top Shop and Chelsea Girl later followed by Warehouse and Oasis and Debenhams for clothes and bras.

Woolies - it had everything and I got a lot of Christmas gifts and cards/wrap from there

La Senza - loved their lingerie and their bras had decent support

Safeway - went there a lot as a kid before moving to England from Scotland (including going to the café and the crèche)

Spud-u-Like - loved going there with my mum when shopping (we went in lieu of Maccy's etc)

BHS - had lovely nightwear and decent school uniform

Oh Kookai is still online, I never knew that!

The Pier and Woolworths.

@Mommabear20 there is still one left!

I did a case study of a very upsetting fatality at an Arbuckles for a health and safety course. Can’t look at them in the same light since. In Health and safety training circles its up there with Challenger and Piper Alpha as a ‘totally predictable tragic fuck up that everyone studies‘

I remember The Army and Navy department store and completely forgot about going into British Gas to pay the bill!

Off topic slightly but I also remember the 'pools' man coming round and the Liverpool insurance man.

Does anyone remember Liptons ? They always had weird shopping baskets.

Teen/student me: Bay Trading Co and Pilot for clothes; Dolcis, Ravel and Barratts for shoes; HMV, Woolworths, Body Shop perfume bar and Athena for the essentials of student life! Me now: still Woolworths, various department stores, The Pier. Restaurants: Vanilla Black, Tartuf in Islington which only had tarte flambé on the menu, and Nusa Dua on Dean Street for Indonesian food.

@nostylenoclue I mentioned them on page 1 or 2. Loved the butterfly chicken with chips and coleslaw then a warm chocolate fudge cake to end.

I was actually telling dh about them on Friday night.

@belkell was that the one with the young boy?

Q & S but I think this may have been only on Liverpool

Adams childrenswear, C&A and MK one

@GrandTheftWalrus

There used to be a restaurant called Fatty Arbuckles. Loved their butterfly chicken. Was actually talking about it the other night .

I remember Fatty Arbuckles!

Made me smile the mention of the "gas showroom" - each town also had an "electricity showroom" where you paid bills or complained and which also had a range of goods like fridges and vacuum cleaners, displays about how great the supplier was (ours was "MANWEB") and racks of leaflets about electrical safety.

Warehouse

@BangingOn

I used to love Old Orleans and also Santa Fe. There was a small Asian fusion chain too, Wok Wok I think?

I also used to love going to the Mongolian BBQ restaurants, there were a couple in neighbouring towns when I was a teen and early 20s, where selected your raw meat, vegetables and sauce and they looked it in front of you. I know there are Japanese restaurants with a similar concept, but it’s not the same.

Ahh me and DH were talking about the Mongolian bbqs just yesterday! Loved them!

@LadyOfTheCanyon

Bit niche but Goth teenager me really misses Kensington Market.

Seconded. …er, as it were.

I miss Mothercare and Early Learning Center. I used to get so many of my baby things from MC and pretty much all my baby/toddler toys from ELC. They had such good arts and crafts things. You could still get a small selection of ELC toys in Debenhams but obviously that's gone now too. We only have one toy shop in our city now.

In the city centre, I mean.

@PurpleSproutingSomething

There was a restaurant place in Manchester called The Dutch Pancake House, I loved it.

I remember that restaurant! I had completely forgotten about it! I loved it too. Sad it’s closed 😞

@SummerDays2020

I miss Mothercare and Early Learning Center. I used to get so many of my baby things from MC and pretty much all my baby/toddler toys from ELC. They had such good arts and crafts things. You could still get a small selection of ELC toys in Debenhams but obviously that's gone now too. We only have one toy shop in our city now.

I'm fairly certain that The Entertainer toy shop still sells ELC toys.

La tasca - loved a good tapas!!

@blueshoes

Choccywoccydoodah Patisserie Valerie

Oh is choccywoccydoodah gone???