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What is Your Favourite Local Shop (Independent or chain)?
- Thread starter marlowe
- Start date
boik
Well-known member
I'd like to add Hassocks Hardware to my list. You wander in there with little hope looking for something obscure, and colin gets his steps, brings down a battered cardboard box and produces exactly what you want at a price lower than the big chains.
I think I do. Wasn't it just him with no staff?
I used to buy New Wave / Electro Pop coloured vinyls or records I'd missed when they came out. For a tiny shop, he seem to have a awful lot of records fitting that genre. More than any of his competitors - I'd browsed high and low through all the record shops in Brighton & Hove.
Records fairs at the Madeira Hotel on Sundays in the early 80's were also a gold mine.
Was a brilliant place for obscure records and imports not sold at chain stores.
Rounders did very well out of me. I still have all the vinyls in great condition.
What a shame when it closed circa 5 years ago? Prior to the revival in the sector.
Pevenseagull
Anti-greed coalition
- Jul 20, 2003
- 19,614
The nut and bolt store is a magnificent shop. I was building a kitchen in Portslade a couple of years ago and got my dad (70 years old) over to help me fit the work tops. We went in there to get some bits and bobs at which point he said, 'this is the best shop in the ****ing world'. He may be correct.
Pevenseagull
Anti-greed coalition
- Jul 20, 2003
- 19,614
The owner, 'Rounder Phil', still has an interest in vinyl, he runs 'Sister Ray' in Soho.
When Rounder was closing I popped in with half a dozen cans of Red Stripe and got very good terms on a substantial amount of the 'Can' and 'Wire' back catalogues.
Pevenseagull
Anti-greed coalition
- Jul 20, 2003
- 19,614
I work in the pub opposite. Rogman is ACE. Steve 'Beta Band' Mason wrote a spectacularly silly radio jingle about them.
I'm really pleased to hear that. Great that he didn't disappear from the sector disillusioned. Is he aware that his Brighton Square shop was much loved?
I remember seeing Rory the brilliant DJ from Coasters (one of the Kingswest nightclubs in the mid 80's), in there, buying US and continental 12" vinyls for his set. Which I would guess were only available in a handful of shops in the UK.
Thank Phil if you see him again. My mates and I still play vinyls bought from Rounders 30 years ago
The Duke Street shop was Wisden Sports.
Common as Mook
Not Posh as Fook
- Jul 26, 2004
- 5,630
There was (is?) a hardware shop on the dials, just before roundabout coming up the hill. It wasn't a great shop as it was very pricey and the woman in there was moody af but I did like their hand painted sign on the wall outside:
If we've got it, you can have it
If we haven't got it, we'll get it
If we can't get it, you've had it.
They invariably couldn't get it.
If we've got it, you can have it
If we haven't got it, we'll get it
If we can't get it, you've had it.
They invariably couldn't get it.
pearl
Well-known member
I used to love Uncle Sams Chilli burgers. I'm sure they added extra chilli if you looked pissed (which I usually was)
- Thread starter
- #73
It certainly is but I included (massive national) chains in my criteria as long as they were locally situated. My question was based on what local shops you would not like to live without based on your reliance upon them whether that be an independent or a (massive national) chain. The latter can be just as much victims of the internet as independent shops. Regarding Toolstation I would hate for them to disappear from Hove and be merely an internet presence as it would be inconvenient in terms of immediate availability of products and convenient and free returns. (I was in there again only yesterday to buy my first ever sash clamp for £13.90. Bargain)
Horton's halftime iceberg
Blooming Marvellous
Well most days when I am home I will use the open market - Smorls, Real Pattisere and the Veg stall at the London Road end all have lovely staff/owners. Not to mention the second hand record store Vinyl Emporium and Mathers ice cream at the level end.
My Dog adores Coombes and always gets a massive fuss, and all the talk about Bankers its Bardsleys all the way this end of town (see Baker St thread). Alcampo is brilliant for big dogs as is the Jolly Poacher (round hill). Duke of Yorks, Ransoms and Sunny Food as well as Florence Road Saturday Market all deserve a shout.
Feel very lucky to have all this 3-4 minutes walk away.
My Dog adores Coombes and always gets a massive fuss, and all the talk about Bankers its Bardsleys all the way this end of town (see Baker St thread). Alcampo is brilliant for big dogs as is the Jolly Poacher (round hill). Duke of Yorks, Ransoms and Sunny Food as well as Florence Road Saturday Market all deserve a shout.
Feel very lucky to have all this 3-4 minutes walk away.
Coombes pet supplies
And I challenge anyone to walk past that bowl of scotch eggs in the window and not want to buy one. I reckon they can even turn a vegetarians head.
GreersElbow
New member
Got quite a few of those up towards Scunthorpe, to Hull then southwest to Rotherham
- Thread starter
- #80
That was always my impression at the time that it was his shop with no staff but i've since found out he was the staff (his name is Mark Arscott) and the shop was owned by someone called Geoff Finch.
Coincidentally they were also the organisers of Brighton Records Fair which you mention.