"N. Thornton" wrote in message
om...

Reminds me of an unusual business I once visited. From the outside it
looked as if the building was at risk of collapse. Half of it was
boarded up. Inside it was like walking 40 years into the past, they
stocked paraffin cookers, distemper, whiting, paraffin, and the sort
of household appliances I doubt anyone has bought in a very long time.
Tin baths were one example. Anyway, the distemper was 70p for 2.5l,
and most of the colours were sold out. It was nearly half a century
old. Not the best policy on stock rotation then.

The sales person was dressed in tattered and torn clothes, smelt of
paraffin, and seemed more interested in a long chat than anything.

Had these premises been closed for 40-50 years and then someone re-opened
the place to sell off the old stock? Sounds like the old chandlers. I came
across a similar thing on the outskirts of Yuma in the USA. A large
derserted hardware store that hadn't changed since the wild west, and even
sold wagon wheels, and a very old man at the very long end wearing a cowboy
hat and those twin bootlace things from his collar. I only knew he was
there because I saw a light in the distance; the place was near totally dark
and all sort of hardwear hid him. Most places have the counter near the
door, his was at the other end. I couldn't see how he made a living. Even
the coke fridge was vintage 1930s.

I remember those sort of places here. Everything was loose and they put it
in brown paper bags for you. Self serve was unheard of. You had to know what
you wanted, or asked the man, or told him of your problem, and then he
leaned into a deep bin pulled it out and put it in a brown paper bag. I
recall going to one once, the old man benhidn the counter had a long brown
covercoat. I asked for 4 ft of 15mm copper pipe. He started to use a
hacksaw with the 3 metre length dangerously swinging all over the place, I
had a wheel cutter in my pocket. I said here use this, and cut the pipe for
him. He was amazed, saying isn't that terrific. Wheel cutters had been
around for about 40 at the time.