What is Your Favourite Local Shop (Independent or chain)?

[Napier]

Am I getting confused with a sports sport that is/was in Duke Street, off West Street?

I couldn' t remember where it was, just remembered that it was a sports shop.

 

[boik]

I'd like to add Hassocks Hardware to my list. You wander in there with little hope looking for something obscure, and colin gets his steps, brings down a battered cardboard box and produces exactly what you want at a price lower than the big chains.

 

[Weststander]

It was indeed called "Vinyl Demand". Do you remember this guy working in there?
View attachment 87744
Here's a link to other people reminiscing about the place.
http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__9268.aspx

I think I do. Wasn't it just him with no staff?

I used to buy New Wave / Electro Pop coloured vinyls or records I'd missed when they came out. For a tiny shop, he seem to have a awful lot of records fitting that genre. More than any of his competitors - I'd browsed high and low through all the record shops in Brighton & Hove.

Records fairs at the Madeira Hotel on Sundays in the early 80's were also a gold mine.

 

[Weststander]

Rounder Records, in the Lanes. A great way to spend your pocket money!

Was a brilliant place for obscure records and imports not sold at chain stores.

Rounders did very well out of me. I still have all the vinyls in great condition.

What a shame when it closed circa 5 years ago? Prior to the revival in the sector.

 

[Pevenseagull]

I often feel guilty about ordering on line as I am aware that I'm contributing to the death of the high street (or industrial retail park) but I'm one of those people who likes to get the best deal without considering the implications or consequences. To make amends I thought we could promote our favourite local shops and possibly heighten general awareness of their existence.

My first shout is for the Nut and Bolt Store in Portland Road, Hove. Very helpful staff and great if you're doing a specific project or repair. If you only require one specific screw you can buy just one singular screw instead of having to fork out for a whole pack, the remainder of which you will probably never use. They even establish and calibrate the correct thread for the bolt you need to buy if it needs to be matched specifically. I often walk out of there only having spent 5p or some equally meagre amount. Clearly they're not going to survive just on my custom so the more people who know about this shop the better. Don't be misled by the name, they don't just sell nuts and bolts.

My second shout is for Toolstation which has been an organic discovery since I first eschewed the major DIY chains such as B&Q and Homebase in favour of Wickes quite a few years ago when it was still relatively unknown and offered better value for money. Shopping there also gave you a certain diy credibility because you were mingling in the world of the proper tradesman until it became more mainstream. Then I discovered Screwfix which offered fantastic value for money which I didn't believe could be bettered. How wrong I was because in the last year I discovered Toolstation who follow the same Argos like format as Screwfix but are on the whole, with the odd exception, much cheaper.

My third shout is for Chandlers, formerly Beachwood Timber, formerly Mackintosh & Partners in Basin Road North on the docks at the west end of The Lagoon. Great place for buying wood in various widths and thicknesses which you cut or have cut to the lengths you require. Much cheaper than Wickes.

So they are my three shouts:
The Nut and Bolt Store for odd screws, bolts and other odds and sods.
Toolstation for general DIY
Chandlers for your timber needs

What are yours?

The nut and bolt store is a magnificent shop. I was building a kitchen in Portslade a couple of years ago and got my dad (70 years old) over to help me fit the work tops. We went in there to get some bits and bobs at which point he said, 'this is the best shop in the ****ing world'. He may be correct.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Was a brilliant place for obscure records and imports not sold at chain stores.

Rounders did very well out of me. I still have all the vinyls in great condition.

What a shame when it closed circa 5 years ago? Prior to the revival in the sector.

The owner, 'Rounder Phil', still has an interest in vinyl, he runs 'Sister Ray' in Soho.
When Rounder was closing I popped in with half a dozen cans of Red Stripe and got very good terms on a substantial amount of the 'Can' and 'Wire' back catalogues.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Rog Man butchers in Farm Road. Supplies loads of restaurants and doesn't look like it's open to the public, but they'll happily sell you whatever you want

I work in the pub opposite. Rogman is ACE. Steve 'Beta Band' Mason wrote a spectacularly silly radio jingle about them.

 

[Weststander]

The owner, 'Rounder Phil', still has an interest in vinyl, he runs 'Sister Ray' in Soho.
When Rounder was closing I popped in with half a dozen cans of Red Stripe and got very good terms on a substantial amount of the 'Can' and 'Wire' back catalogues.

I'm really pleased to hear that. Great that he didn't disappear from the sector disillusioned. Is he aware that his Brighton Square shop was much loved?

I remember seeing Rory the brilliant DJ from Coasters (one of the Kingswest nightclubs in the mid 80's), in there, buying US and continental 12" vinyls for his set. Which I would guess were only available in a handful of shops in the UK.

Thank Phil if you see him again. My mates and I still play vinyls bought from Rounders 30 years ago

 

[Weststander]

Am I getting confused with a sports sport that is / was in Duke Street, off West Street?..

The Duke Street shop was Wisden Sports.

 

[Common as Mook]

 

[The Clamp]

There was (is?) a hardware shop on the dials, just before roundabout coming up the hill. It wasn't a great shop as it was very pricey and the woman in there was moody af but I did like their hand painted sign on the wall outside:

If we've got it, you can have it
If we haven't got it, we'll get it
If we can't get it, you've had it.

They invariably couldn't get it.

 

[pearl]

Sing Li chips, near Brighton station. Piping hot, great value.

Uncle Jims kebabs, preston circus. 'Pure Turkish dish, not a copy'.. great post pub nosh.

Rounder Records, in the Lanes. A great way to spend your pocket money!

Duke of Yorks cinema. Some interesting foreign language films.. ok, i went for the boobage!

Uncle Sams / Grubbs burgers.

Ransons hardware, Ann Street. All the cleaning / gardening / home stuff and home tat you will ever need.

I used to love Uncle Sams Chilli burgers. I'm sure they added extra chilli if you looked pissed (which I usually was)

 

[marlowe]

As for the OP's Toolstation... surely that's a massive national chain?

It certainly is but I included (massive national) chains in my criteria as long as they were locally situated. My question was based on what local shops you would not like to live without based on your reliance upon them whether that be an independent or a (massive national) chain. The latter can be just as much victims of the internet as independent shops. Regarding Toolstation I would hate for them to disappear from Hove and be merely an internet presence as it would be inconvenient in terms of immediate availability of products and convenient and free returns. (I was in there again only yesterday to buy my first ever sash clamp for £13.90. Bargain)

 

[AK74]

Then: David Rose (I first visited him/them when the shop was at Seven Dials, followed by Western Road)
Now: Nick Rivett Sport (Church Road)

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Well most days when I am home I will use the open market - Smorls, Real Pattisere and the Veg stall at the London Road end all have lovely staff/owners. Not to mention the second hand record store Vinyl Emporium and Mathers ice cream at the level end.

My Dog adores Coombes and always gets a massive fuss, and all the talk about Bankers its Bardsleys all the way this end of town (see Baker St thread). Alcampo is brilliant for big dogs as is the Jolly Poacher (round hill). Duke of Yorks, Ransoms and Sunny Food as well as Florence Road Saturday Market all deserve a shout.

Feel very lucky to have all this 3-4 minutes walk away.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Canham & Sons aka Canhams! Top drawer meats and crazy good sausage rolls. Fatboy Slim a regular.

 

[Chicken Run]

Coombes pet supplies

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Canham & Sons aka Canhams! Top drawer meats and crazy good sausage rolls. Fatboy Slim a regular.

And I challenge anyone to walk past that bowl of scotch eggs in the window and not want to buy one. I reckon they can even turn a vegetarians head.

 

[GreersElbow]

Anywhere with an acne ridden, boss eyed bird behind the counter.

Got quite a few of those up towards Scunthorpe, to Hull then southwest to Rotherham

 

[marlowe]

I think I do. Wasn't it just him with no staff?

I used to buy New Wave / Electro Pop coloured vinyls or records I'd missed when they came out. For a tiny shop, he seem to have a awful lot of records fitting that genre. More than any of his competitors - I'd browsed high and low through all the record shops in Brighton & Hove.

Records fairs at the Madeira Hotel on Sundays in the early 80's were also a gold mine.

That was always my impression at the time that it was his shop with no staff but i've since found out he was the staff (his name is Mark Arscott) and the shop was owned by someone called Geoff Finch.
Coincidentally they were also the organisers of Brighton Records Fair which you mention.