>The one thing I love about London that doesn’t really exist in many other areas, is that it is made up of little villages, each one having its own identity. South Norwood is no exception; all the little independent shops that make an area individual as opposed to corporate faceless industrial estates full of your name brands.
I want to use this blog to do some shameless promotion for some of those shops that are still going despite the economic disaster caused by no fault of there own. I would encourage anyone to make a little effort just to buy a couple of things from their local shop. It is true that most things will be more expensive than your main brand supermarket but sometimes it is only pence. If all the local economy collapses you end up with boarded up fronts, then ruthless property developers want to turn them into flats, turning the whole area into a what is more or less a housing estate.
Treasures at 273 Portland Road is one of these shops. It sells fantastic gifts, cards, jewellery and much more. What you won’t find is any tat that a lot of ‘gift shops’ can sell, they sell stuff that people would actually like to receive. Heather the owner is the friendly shopkeeper ……and as if by magic the shopkeeper appeared, what would you like today Mr Benn….. is there to turn those ‘I don’t know what to buy’ into wonderful gift ideas. God knows the amount of jewellery I have bought just because it caught my eye whilst waiting to be served. One could say the shop is evil because once you have entered voices in your head start saying buy me buy me! Cards for all occasions are sold, cards that you won’t find anywhere else…Fuck hallmark, except for Law & Order, Treasures sell original cards. Pop in today, did I mention the shop is called Treasures.
I could go on to say how Thatcher has perverted peoples social conciousness but I will save that for a later date.
Jason E Cooper 