Forum topic: Yearning to see Traditional Shops!

I would love to see all those lovely traditional shops in our areas again that we used to have once, I miss seeing a Butchers, fishmongers, shoe menders, sweetshop, Crockery shop, haberdashery, etc,

Palmers Green was once a jewel because of the above named shops, we should help and get involved to save our high streets it is the backbone of our communities they serve.

Let's support www.savethehighstreet.org/

I'm afraid much of the retail world has moved on - people either don't buy those products or if they do, they order online - better choice, better price and delivered to your door. The exception is the food and drink products - though independents find it hard to compete on price and quality with the instore offerings of, say, Morrisons.

Much better to have a much smaller High Street of high quality shops filling in the gaps that online and large chains leave and that the local community can support. Convert the rest to much needed housing.

I certainly buy the products that Kaye Castanheira mentioned. I enjoy making regular visits to the fabulous independent Fishmongers on the south of Palmers Green including Butchers and various independent food stores north and south of PG, not to mention our local supermarkets.

For other shops such as quality everyday Homeware, Shoe menders, Haberdashery shops (which are essential to me and indeed to a great deal of many other people of all ages, as being creative is hugely and seriously back in Vogue) well, I must travel outside Palmers Green for such quality supplies and services.

Incidentally, I understand Waitrose has stated that they had found their store in PG challenging. Perplexing, as the population in PG is continuing to grow. Waitrose is a supermarket that is known for its very good ethos as it supports various good causes/charities and we as residents should essentially be supporting our very own local Waitrose.

Retrospectively, the once popular shopping area of PG was ruined by those spiritless shopping malls.

Firstly, It important for me to mention that Online shopping is a God sent to those unable to venture to the shops for health reasons.

For the rest, unnecessary Online shopping will eventually, clearly devourer any existing shop in PG, if we as residents continue to prefer to purchase items Online which are already readily available to us on our PG door step.

Furthermore, Online shopping means excess delivery vans on our roads, permeating our natural environment with further pollution and making our roads even more congested. ( Personally, I am horrified to learn that asthmas has increased significantly in young children, certainly we as adults should learn to be much more responsible in our ways).

Centrally, for a revival of various decent shops that will ultimately give birth to a Healthy Cultural Community Hub for all ages and most essentially for children growing up in the area, there first must be a strong demand by the residents.

Therefore, supporting our local shops and good eating places as often as necessary is the only path too prosperity for The Parade of Shops in Palmers Green.

4 days and 5 eats in PG.
Last week saw a published report highlighting that the UK’s high streets continued to move from traditional outlets such as clothing retailers to entertainment and restaurants / café’s. With Easter at home we visited several eats in PG high street which seemed to confirm we are at the cutting edge of these UK trends.
Le Grand Jour. A regular haunt where four of us enjoyed rounds of teas, coffees and shakes. Best brioches in PG and always of a different shape when they come out of the kitchen. A great effort by the new Hungarian waitress trying to remember which one of us didn’t have chocolate on the cappuccino - was it the missing fifth person?
Taste of Raj, home of the friendliest restaurant manager in the world and based in PG about as long as Broomfield House. Four of us filled up on various curries before sitting chatting for an uneconomic length of time enjoying gratis drinks, orange segments and chocolates. Happy days.
Vardi. This is mad. Not being sure if the new up-market burger and shakes outlet next to Starfish was open we set off for a sure fire belly-burst. Only three of us here so we ordered the chefs special (“for 1-2”) to share. A table full of gratis starters landed and then came the vegetarian’s nightmare. Reckoning this was really for 5 we boxed 2 portions for home then recieved gratis sweets and rice pudding. Oh dear, we were far too full to skip back down the nearly complete cycle lane. One person eating that lot would really be a leading candidate for TV’s “Man vs Food”.
Kiva provided a lovely range of big breakfasts for four. The manager brought a large pile of cups and milk across the café for us before depositing them in my sons lap – result! How we all laughed, and he was even awarded a green smoothie as compensation. Best was the window seat where you can watch all the cars in a line waiting to enter Hazelwood Lane trying to get past all the cars in a line trying to get out but both being unable to do so because of all the other cars, also all stationary, in parked lines on both sides. Hoot hoot.
And finally to the new Mugs and Hugs, a name which made us wonder if it was also part of PG’s night time conomy. Amazingly quiet inside due to the sound insulated doors and super tables to spread papers on. Oh but however buttery your croissants (and they are), never re-serve yesterday’s when in the early days of a new outlet. Food competition in PG is at such a level that you really can’t get away with that.
Add in others such as Baskervilles. Dipali, Starfish the Yard and more and we’re rather well served in PG with top notch eats. It’s good to use them, just like legs.
Next time: 5 men go to a nail bar

This week’s local paper has a full page advertorial focused on Palmers Green.

The chosen photo seems to highlight cars and tarmac at the expense of shops and shoppers (but do see note the lovely run of upper floor buildings to the photo's left) while the text draws out negatives for some inexplicable reason in what is a marketing pitch, but it’s good to see Starfish scoring 5 stars for the quality of its coffee and receiving high praise indeed from Time Out plus seeing other local traders putting positive marketing cash behind the area.

Ate at the new 90 On the Green a couple fo weeks ago. Really well priced and nice beer & wine and the burgers were fab! Pity Starfish isn't open more as would have liked to have carried on there (shut on a Friday night?!).

PG has a decent selection of eating choices and A3 shops to serve modern needs (if only licencing and planning would catch up). 90, Starfish, Baskervilles, Dipali and Nissi are the stars of the show for me. Even the Yard at PG station doesn't some great eats!

I need to make more of the Green Lanes side though, see if it compares to Aldermans Hill.

As for haberdashery? Behave. Stores need more than a very minor activity and customer base to survive these days.

Probably not the best "before and after" example from Palmers Green town centre, although you can still see the attractive small upper windows. Perhaps the time has finally come to seek improvements to the local architecture and shop fronts to complement the investment now being placed into the pavements and other surface features.