Covent Garden

I’ve been tramping round Covent Garden since my mid-teens back in the eighties. In those days (oh, “when I were young” etc), it was rather a different place. Same buildings (on the main), it’s the nature of the shops that’s changed. Neal Street has but one shop I can identify as having not closed since those days, “The Tea Shop”. The rest - well, that road used to be just small independent shops, and now there’s a multitude of chains. Not all so, but by and large the case. A few notables that have gone: The leather bags shop No, not that one. This had a name of something lime Morris or Morrison, I don’t recall. More often closed than not, had a black chap inside who made good looking and cheap leather goods (bags, satchels etc) who appeared relatively indifferent to mercantalism. Neal Street East Enormous barn of a store, over three levels, selling oriental goods. I aspired to buy their kimonos, but generally ended up in the basement which sold kick-knacks, novelties, soaps and the like. Lovely place, now a clothes shop. Flip Wow, Flip. American vintage and styled clothes. I think this was a small chain of stores, but the only one I really remember visiting was in Covent Garden. Another barn of a shop, now another chain clothing store.