Not all those who wander are lost
Date published 1 April, 2019
Hardware Stores Resist Time
The problem with the High Street, of course, is that they are not moving with the times.
Recently, when parked not far from Whitley Bay, we encountered a situation that does not happen every week, but it does happen. You will have had it happen to you. We were out on our travels and we needed a bit of cable for something minor in the van - in the living accommodation.
It was a sunny, mild, March day. What was a good plan was a walk along the sea front to take in the great weather. No need to worry about running updates to the habitation bit of the van. It was nice, too. We walked past St Mary's Island from Old Hartley, and carried on walking, right to the Spanish City in Whitley Bay. And the sun was still shining, so we thought we would wander up to the shops.
Almost the first shop we saw was the one in the picture. Opportunistically, we popped in and of course, they had the cable we needed.
Now this store is amazing. Like all those hardware stores you find tucked away in High Streets away from the formulaic retail parks, it had all the stuff you require. Staff in aprons. That intoxicating hardware store smell. Wooden floor. Nails by the ounce. Everything. I really do mean everything.
The problem with the High Street, of course, is that they are not moving with the times. And mostly, that is obvious.
But please don't shut the Hardware store. Ever.
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