Best shops in London

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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Yesterday I went to Persepolis on Peckham High Street for the first time - it's an amazing miniature bazaar of Iranian foodstuffs, books, ornaments and CDs...with the emphasis on the food. Came away with sour grape powder, dried mulberries and much, much more.

The shop seems to be somewhat of an anomaly within Peckham, and I would neevr have found it without a tip-off. So... most of us know about what record shops to go to - I'm looking for some other hidden gems where I can go and spend some money... :)
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
May not be what you're after (bit wanky perhaps) but there is a shop just down the road from me that is run by the guys from Le Gun magazine. They call it something like Ye Olde Shoeshoppe of Curiosities - because it used to be a shoeshop. Inside is just loads of totally random stuff like Burroughesque guns made out of clammy pink rubber and ventriloquists dummies and old bottles and postcards and bits of art and helmets and bric-a-brac and stuff. They also have a space underneath that they use for an art gallery, when I went there there was an ace exhibition where you crawled through all these dark tunnels past weird windows where there were little vignettes of this kind of ghostly world.

http://www.myspace.com/curiousshoeshop
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Get Stuffed!

No, really, there's a shop called Get Stuffed on Essex Road in Islington/Cannonbury which is full of stuffed animals of every kind. It looks like the kind of place where if you knew the owner he might show you the collection of shrunken heads he keeps in the back room. I've never actually been in it, as it's not open except by appointment (there's a phone number to call on a notice on the door) but it's tiny enough that you can see everything in it through the window. Bar anything seriously weird/illegal that might be kept in the back. Which I really hope there is.

Obviously a hobby for someone rather than a moneymaker, but if you need a stuffed bald eagle or iguana this place could be a lifesaver.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Mr. Tea said:
Get Stuffed!

No, really, there's a shop called Get Stuffed on Essex Road in Islington/Cannonbury which is full of stuffed animals of every kind. It looks like the kind of place where if you knew the owner he might show you the collection of shrunken heads he keeps in the back room. I've never actually been in it, as it's not open except by appointment (there's a phone number to call on a notice on the door) but it's tiny enough that you can see everything in it through the window. Bar anything seriously weird/illegal that might be kept in the back. Which I really hope there is.

Obviously a hobby for someone rather than a moneymaker, but if you need a stuffed bald eagle or iguana this place could be a lifesaver.
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I KNOW this one! Passed it one night at midnight... weird. Looks like the kind of shop that Mo from the Simpsons would run...

In starting the thread I was sort of thinking about Xmas presents (many people are going to be receiving Iranian glassware this Dec 25th...) - this could get weird....:)
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
"Iranian glassware" sounds suspiciously like a euphemism for a very elaborate bong. ;)

On that subject, does this shop sell shishas? I've got one myself which works well enough, but is a bit plain, and I've always fancied one of those ones with a nice polychrome glass bulb and some tassels.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
It does actually...

Yeah, loads and loads of shishas around the place. Also some brilliantly kitsch vases etc.

It's on the High St, almost opposite the library.
 
Slothrop

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
Mr. Tea said:
No, really, there's a shop called Get Stuffed on Essex Road in Islington/Cannonbury which is full of stuffed animals of every kind.
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I've seen that from the bus, I think - I'm guessing it's the place with the stuffed polar bear?
It looks like the kind of place where if you knew the owner he might show you the collection of shrunken heads he keeps in the back room.
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They've got one in the residents bar at the Pen Y Gwryd, fwiw...
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Well that was cool and a bit weird - I went down to Peckham today for the first time in my life (had a tuition job in some kid's house) and I wasn't a quarter of a mile out the station when what should I pass but Persepolis! And what a completely cool-looking shop it is, too: the sweets look delicious and yes, there are loads of shishas (or hookas, I think they're called in Farsi). I'd like to say I was looking out for it, but to be honest I'd forgotten completely about this thread. Might get there a bit early next week and check the place out.

Also, what is it with Peckham and halal-butchers-with-built-in-SIM-card/mobile-unlocking-booths? I passed about four in about as many minutes. :rolleyes:
 
G

Gabba Flamenco Crossover

High Sierra Skullfuck
baboon2004 said:
The shop seems to be somewhat of an anomaly within Peckham, and I would neevr have found it without a tip-off. So... most of us know about what record shops to go to - I'm looking for some other hidden gems where I can go and spend some money... :)
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Is that the one with a yellow facade that's between burger king and the dole office? I've admired the window display many times but never been in.

My favs...

Baron Menswear - the most vulger men's clothes shop in Brixton, and that is saying something because the competition is stiff.

Also like the 2nd hand bookstore on Coldharbour lane.

And the dodgy fence-type shop in east Croydon run by a little iranian guy where i bought an analogue synth for £30 that turned out to be worth £400 - that was a great day...
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Gabba Flamenco Crossover said:
Is that the one with a yellow facade that's between burger king and the dole office? I've admired the window display many times but never been in.

My favs...

Baron Menswear - the most vulger men's clothes shop in Brixton, and that is saying something because the competition is stiff.

Also like the 2nd hand bookstore on Coldharbour lane.

And the dodgy fence-type shop in east Croydon run by a little iranian guy where i bought an analogue synth for £30 that turned out to be worth £400 - that was a great day...
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Yeah, that's Persepolis. Definitely go in if you're into food and/or decorative glasswear!

Do you have any other recs fro shops in Brixton (possibly not based on vulgarity;) )?

That bookstore on C Lane is great, but the lack of alphabetical ordering drives me insane.

Streatham Hill food shop recommendations (don't know exact names, aploogies for the inexactitude): Middle Eastern store/bakery on the left as you come onto Streatha, Hill from Brixton Hill - loads of produce outside; Indian/Middle Eastern supermarket almost opposite S Hill station with an amazing selection of lentils, spices etc, and incredible fruit selection; Polish shop about 2 mins up from S Hill station where they sell about seven varieties of mushrooms.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
If we're talking food, Yasir Halim bakery on Green Lanes has to be my favourite bakery in London, it's just fantastic. And most of the competition for that title is on the same road.

Plus there's an awesome greengorcers/butchers next door run by the same people, which sells truly amazing hummus.

Edit: OK, so I went a bit overboard on the superlatives there, but you'll see what I mean if you there.
 
M

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
Mr. Tea said:
If we're talking food, Yasir Halim bakery on Green Lanes has to be my favourite bakery in London, it's just fantastic. And most of the competition for that title is on the same road.

Plus there's an awesome greengorcers/butchers next door run by the same people, which sells truly amazing hummus.
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if you're looking at Yasir halim, is it to the right or left? I live on hummous, and will travel to get good stuff, stuff I make is like dogsick. I musta been a chickpea in another life or something, seriously. I don't know where I'd be without them.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
mistersloane said:
if you're looking at Yasir halim, is it to the right or left? I live on hummous, and will travel to get good stuff, stuff I make is like dogsick. I musta been a chickpea in another life or something, seriously. I don't know where I'd be without them.
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Here you go: map
It's on the west side, so the left as you walk up towards Wood Green, almost opposite the Salisbury (the big Victorian pub). The hummous (or however it's spelled!) is thick-textured and garlicky, and it's making me hungry right now from several miles away. It's also one of the best shops for general fruit'n'veg, and if you have squeamish friends you can freak them out with the celophane-wrapped half-lamb's-heads in the butcher's section. Oh, and they've got at least eight kinds of marinated olives and dead cheap olive oil. And Turkish tea and coffee.
 
G

Gabba Flamenco Crossover

High Sierra Skullfuck
baboon2004 said:
Do you have any other recs fro shops in Brixton (possibly not based on vulgarity;) )?
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The deli under the railway station (about 6 doors down from Baron towards the high street) is pretty dope.

And the market generally.

Brixton is suprisingly berift of clothes/record shops (other than urban/reggae). I've always found it staggering that there is no army surplus store in Brixton, talk about a business opportunity going begging.
 
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