Thursday 17 June 2010

Blooming lovely

After swooning slightly every time Ruffy pulled a cute but mischievous face (at least 42 times by my calculations)during the charming and whimsical 'The Brothers Bloom', we felt in need of some therapy. Of the retail kind. But only in the name of stocking the Teawagon's ingeniously fitted shelves.

We couldn't believe our eyes when we spied a shop that seemed to have been transported whole from circa 1958. It sported a window display involving hand-knitted socks, thermal vests and a roll-on rubber girdle, all arranged on peg-board and wire busts. On peering through the grimy window of the (sadly) locked door, we saw canyons created by stacks of cardboard shoe boxes, packets of stockings and glass-fronted drawers filled with every kind of ladies' delicate and personal wear. We looked around for a police box and a man in a bow tie then, unsatisfied, asked in the shop next door. When had this marvellous place closed for business? 'Ooh, a long time ago - at least a year.' We were an awfully long way from the centre of town...