Londei’s London Shops. Photo & text: John Londei (3/3)
Posted: June 9, 2011 Filed under: Interiors, Shops | Tags: John Londei, Shutting Up Shop, Small shops, tobacconist's Comments Off on Londei’s London Shops. Photo & text: John Londei (3/3)
Tom Cornish, Tobacconist, 87 Clerkenwell Road, EC1. Photo © John Londei
John Londei writes:
This was the second photograph I took for my book Shutting Up Shop. The tobacconist sat across the road to my studio, two doors along from ‘Morrison’s’ the chemist, the shop that started the ball rolling.
In 1956 William Hadly was de-mobbed from National Service. “A friend got me a job here telling me: ‘You’ll only be number two’. In 1959, I ended up buying the business.”
Tom Cornish opened the shop over one hundred years ago. “I never met him. He went out of business in 1911. But I still keep the picture of him – our ‘founder’ – above the clock. It shows the business has some standing.”
The shop had remained unchanged since William took over, the corner wooden phone kiosk an echo of the days when most people didn’t own a telephone. “You’d be surprised how many people comment on it. Only tobacco, I sell only tobacco, nothing else! Not even chewing gum. Every morning I’m up at 5.20, and open the shop at 7 o’clock. I shut at five in the evening. We always make sure we are in bed by 9.30. The biggest change for me was when VAT started in 1973. Most nights I do the books. The VAT has given me so much extra work.”
George Fieldwich, who had worked at a local pub, joined the shop at the age of seventy-one. William’s wife, Erna, was Austrian, and used to be a language teacher. “I enjoy the foreigners’ surprise when I speak to them in their own tongue. I am a non-smoker. I would have preferred to run a bookshop.”
William always seemed to have his pipe permanently clenched between his teeth; in fact I can’t remember ever seeing him without it. “I go all round the jars and try them all out. People come from miles around for this stuff. Once you’ve got a customer, you’ve got them forever. That’s why we don’t change the name of the shop, because it was famous.”
Erna also saw no reason to change things. “See that ‘Senior Service’ lady on the wall… We could have sold her a hundred times over. We have had many offers for her. But we always refuse.”
© John Londei 2011
John Londei’s book Shutting Up Shop: the decline of the traditional small shop is published by Dewi Lewis.
Londei’s London shops. Photo & text: John Londei (2/3).
Posted: June 8, 2011 Filed under: Sartorial, Shops | Tags: John Londei, little shops, Shutting Up Shop, woollens and worsteds 1 Comment
Eddie Schloss, proprietor: silk & woollen merchant. 28A Goulston Street, Aldgate. © John Londei
John Londei writes:
This was a hard shot to take; full of problems, with torrential rain, gale force winds and hardly any light.
Eddie Schloss had just seen off a difficult customer. ”They all come here telling me the same thing was offered up the road for half the price, ‘So why didn’t you buy it?’ I tell them.”
Eddie’s father, Samuel, was a Polish immigrant who settled in the East End of London and opened this shop, near Petticoat Lane market, in 1928. Eddie, his only son, left school at fifteen to work for his father. “He was a wonderful man. A true gentleman. Very fair. A good father, by God. I respected him. I loved him deeply. If my father were alive today I’d be the happiest person.”
Eddie joined the RAF and remained in the service for many years. “They allowed me compassionate leave, as my father had been taken bad. He couldn’t do it anymore. What with it being a family business, they gave me leave to come out. I took over here. I wasn’t cut out for this work. I wanted to be a doctor. Medical matters always fascinated me. I began studying it at school, but my education was wasted. But you need a different kind of patience for this work.”
Eddie didn’t seem interested having his picture taken, and it took a lot of persuading until he finally agreed. I don’t know what he was thinking as he watched us battle with the elements trying to set up the plate camera.
”Art. You’re probably doing it for art. I respect that. But I’ve got enough problems without art as well. Be honest with yourself, do I need it? I’ve got enough problems without you. I respect you as human beings. You’re wasting your time, but be my guest. But don’t expect me to spend any time on it. When I was younger I might have been impressed.
“ I would be happy to have a copy of the photo when it’s done. I won’t be impressed. I’m too old for that, but I’ll see what my wife thinks. God bless you – if your art gives you only half the problems I’ve had, you’ll have had enough.”
John Londei’s book Shutting Up Shop: the decline of the traditional small shop is published by Dewi Lewis.
Londei’s London shops. Photos & text: John Londei (1/3)
Posted: June 7, 2011 Filed under: Shops, Wildlife | Tags: Dogs Beauty Parlour, John Londei, Poodles, Shutting Up Shop, Small shops Comments Off on Londei’s London shops. Photos & text: John Londei (1/3)
Kim’s Dogs Beauty Parlour, 4 Bristol Gardens, Notting Hill, 1984. © John Londei.
John Londei writes:
To her customers Freeda Lizetta Regina Sophia Carson was simply known as ‘Kim’.
Freeda was German and married an Englishman who worked in Hanover. They moved to England and her husband, who was often away on business, bought her a dog for company. “It was a poodle. That’s how it started.”
As the dog’s coat grew it became progressively shabbier. “I had no idea what to do. Eventually he had such long hair I taught myself to clip him.” And so began a lifelong career. Freeda got a job at Bellmead Kennels in Windsor and in 1955 she opened her salon in Maida Vale. Ironically it used to be a butcher’s shop.
In her heyday Freeda employed several assistants, and was able to handle ten dogs a day. “It was a very chic place. A lot of my customers came in chauffeur driven cars. They came because of my work.”
Freeda poses in the picture with ‘Kim’, a fifth generation dog stretching back to her original poodle. All were called ‘Kim’. She’d had the present ‘Kim’ since he was a puppy. “He has to be on a lead at the shop. Well, I must be frank. He’s very sexy. You see all dogs are different. My other dogs could be left and did nothing. But this one’s a bugger!”
The fashion for poodles began to wane in the early 1960s. “At that time everyone had poodles! Poodles only. Now it’s terriers and spaniels.”
Freeda was over eighty; the years had taken had their toll. “I’m much too old. My hands are not strong anymore. It takes about two and a half hours of hard work to do a dog.”
The shop now stood on a desirable site; the surrounding area was being developed. However, Freeda had an old lease and couldn’t be evicted. The landlord, eager to sell the property, was forced to sit it out. Freeda stubbornly stood firm until she received a good offer from the landlord. He in turn refused to carry out repairs to the building in the hope she would leave. But Freeda would not let herself be bullied. “I’m free from debts and everything. I earn just enough. I live from day to day. Be happy, don’t worry. No stress… Besides, I love dogs.”
© John Londei 2011
John Londei’s book Shutting Up Shop: the decline of the traditional small shop is published by Dewi Lewis.
The London Column 