We have the local shop here in England too, but sadly it does not have a window. I love the lantern above the iron gateway; it has Plaistow Stores etched into the glass. It is said that Plaistow is seven miles from nowhere and winding your way through endless wooded country lanes you soon discover why.
This idiosyncratic little village store serves several villages over quite a large area and it stocks some extraordinary things. For example long stripy socks of the kind Alice in Wonderland would wear, essential round here for all the rabbit holes. The main emphasis of the shop however was astonishingly towards party props, things like paper cake frills made from crepe paper with fringed edges which I haven’t seen for years. There were birthday candles with plastic holders, party invitations and novelty hats and novelty toys. But there was some real diversity in this little shop, a DVD film rental service containing about 20 films and a small bread oven producing fresh bread. The best bit though were the books shown below, they contain all the individual accounts, sorted by Christian name…of course! Sue, Fred, Wendy, Ronnie, Audrey, Sally, Steph, Christine, Tony, Sabina, Robb, Jennie, and Alvin (probably Stardust he lives round here) I also spy a Lady Fors —g, difficult to make it out.
Next post is ceramics and art; tomorrow I hope.