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shops

tripe on your desktop

i’ve taken this shot before, but the sun was so good today i had to take it again when i happened to walk past this old tripe shop (and public toilet extension)

click for desktop sized picture

incomplete

incomplete sign from matt the funkypancake web-landlord
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fantastic shop sign

i’m not sure why this sign looks so fantastic. i think it has a timelessness about it.
tailoring is a fairly timeless tradition so it’s only fair they haven’t grasped modern technology and gone for a professionally produced sign.
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quality butcher

here is a butcher. what can we learn from his position on his shop roof ?
he looks like he’s up there waiting to shout at customers who are coming to buy his meat products.
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the worst combination ?

this place is called Drug Opera. Surely the worst combination of things ever ?
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my new favouritist bar in the world ever

if you are in brussels and want to go to a bar which is just completely bohemium (don’t like the word, but there’s no other way to describe it) go here. it’s just a few second walk from the grand-place and is so completely laid back.
go up to the first or second floor if you want to sit on a seriously beat up sofa and daydream the night away in the glooming junk-shop interior
enticing enough for you ?
pity i only found it on my last night here
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the original celtic pub ?

i suspect this isn’t actually the original celtic pub. chances are that was in Ireland or somewhere.
note the authentic Irish entertainment on their telly.
what is it with pubs in the Irish theme around the world ?
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gallery of mini-mes

where did dr evil from austin powers get his mini-me from ? this shop probably.
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2 or £1 or 99 pences each

what a bargain. who would be foolish enough to buy one bag for 99 pences when you can buy 2 for 1 pound ?
i’m not stupid. i bought three.
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two different approaches to advertising nails

competition in hardware shops has increased significantly recently. they used to be able to attract customers to their shops by hanging ladders outside their front doors and putting hammers and screwdrivers in their windows.
but i’ve noticed another trend. specialist shops concentrating on the fundamentals of Do It Yourself and home improvement. shops which specialise in selling nails.
of course this fledgling industry is still searching for its identity. which is why these two nail shops have approached their window display in different ways.
neon or 80s fashion ? you decide which hardware shop to shop at.
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i guess this is no different from Staples which too specialises in one of the smallest, inconsequential stationary elements. they don’t even sell staplers apparently.

hair by malcolm

it’s true you know. in this shop they employ a number of people called malcolm to sit next to you when you are having your hair cut.
it’s a lovely, but ultimately pointless idea.
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inflatable bouncers

maplins is a shop i love. it’s the british radio shack though i don’t think they are related.
anyway, the one just off edgware road has recently installed a giant bouncer to keep trouble out of the shop.
there’s nothing worse than battling gadget nerds, and this red suited inflatable giant will quite literally be able to ‘bounce’ such people out of the shop. he takes up over half the door way !
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pull up nannies

here is a shopping list.
nrawn
notatoes (no potatoes)
catrot (cream to stop your cat smelling)
pull-up nannies (they are so tired they need a hand to get off the sofa)
napies (cross between a nappy and a pie – nothing is wasted here)
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