More than one Auntie?

[onyx(John)]

Has anyone ever encountered an Auntie like shopkeeper in real life? I remember an elderly lady who had a small shop in the village where I grew up. It wasn't much more than a sweet shop really, stocking a very limited amount of groceries etc. We passed this shop going to and from school so whenever we had money (which wasn't very often) we would call in. Like Auntie, she lived behind the shop. A bell on the door would ring as you went in and she would just appear behind the counter which was lined with old fashioned sweet jars. Penny lollipops were usually all we could afford and if the jar was nearly empty she would out scoop the bits of broken pops at the bottom of the jar, put them in a small brown paper bag and give you this instead. I can also remember her trying to sell my mother a Christmas cake in summertime, having failed to shift it in December!
There was a long wooden bench along one wall of the shop and I have very fond memories of my brother and I being bought bowls of ice cream with strawberry syrup by our uncle, sitting there in the shop enjoying our treat.Great days

 

[amos hames]

Has anyone ever encountered an Auntie like shopkeeper in real life? I remember an elderly lady who had a small shop in the village where I grew up. It wasn't much more than a sweet shop really, stocking a very limited amount of groceries etc. We passed this shop going to and from school so whenever we had money (which wasn't very often) we would call in. Like Auntie, she lived behind the shop. A bell on the door would ring as you went in and she would just appear behind the counter which was lined with old fashioned sweet jars. Penny lollipops were usually all we could afford and if the jar was nearly empty she would out scoop the bits of broken pops at the bottom of the jar, put them in a small brown paper bag and give you this instead. I can also remember her trying to sell my mother a Christmas cake in summertime, having failed to shift it in December!
There was a long wooden bench along one wall of the shop and I have very fond memories of my brother and I being bought bowls of ice cream with strawberry syrup by our uncle, sitting there in the shop enjoying our treat.Great days

There is an antiques and collectables shop in Heathfield.(Sussex) called Aunty Wainwrights. I never go in in case I am sold a wardrobe or a foundation garment.(only a small one.)

 

[Pearl]

Yes me too, Her name was Kath Harris and she had a tatty second hand shop round the corner from me, she was about 200 years old and a face like silk that had been sat on for at least 100 years! She used to scare the hell out of all the kids

 

[Beth]

Yes me too, Her name was Kath Harris and she had a tatty second hand shop round the corner from me, she was about 200 years old and a face like silk that had been sat on for at least 100 years! She used to scare the hell out of all the kids

oh my th e poor little things.

 

[codfanglers]

For me it was a guy named Gene who ran G&G Groceries arou nd the corner from my house. It was more of a small grocery store than a second hand shop. It was known for great sub sandwiches. He wasn't shrewd like Auntie. However, John, your story of the one penny lollipops reminds me of the early-mid 80's where candies such as Swedish fish (little red chewey candies shaped like fish) were sold for a penny each. I remember the one time I acquired 100 pennies and I went there with all of them to buy 100 Swedish fish. Gene was so grateful. As of the 1990's in the US, anyone who would go to a store to try to buy something with 100 loose pennies wouldn't be treated so well.

He lived above his store, but his business did really well and he bought a big suburban home with a swimming pool.

 

[barmpot]

My mother tells me about a ironmonger who sold two classes of screws - new and used, and often the used ones were unscrewed from something he had in stock while you waited.

He had an old native American canoe hung up in the shop and eventually the wires holding it up wore their way through the wood and the whole thing came crashing down!

There is a model shop trader not that many miles from here who follows you round and is implying that you are out to damage his stock - surprisingly he still gets quite a few customers.