Hello and Greetings, it’s me your Bearded Captain, leader of all Beards, flag-bearer of all Beards on digital and digital broadcasting media. I am that Beard who tries to make people laugh and I am that Beard who tries to make people smile.
Brothers, I pray you’re well, looking after yourselves and your Beards! My Soldiers, I want to talk about an important issue in the life of Beard, it’s the issue of when you’re favourite shop closes down.
In my childhood, when the legendary Woolworths folded and had to shut their doors, it wasn’t just their shareholders who were weeping into their pillow, a lot of the Whalley Range, Chorlton and Old Trafford kids were too.
Our Saturday’s would have to drastically change as a result of this. The new kid on the block B&M tried to be the knight and shining armour for all those heartbroken kids, but not even they were able to come and alleviate the problem.
The Woolies pick and mix, was unheralded before its arrival, what is the kids toy shop, but it would be on the lips of every kid and on even more kids than just the local area, upon the Woolworths closure.
It’s not just B&M, who were there to try and soften the pick&mix blow , all super markets stocked do this too . As good as that is, for us 90’s kids a part of our childhood went when Woolworths went. The loss of Blockbuster was cushioned with the change of trends, as the world went away from video rentals.
We could manage that closure of Blockbuster and a new supermarket came in it’s place. But this wasn’t any supermarket place, it was an M&S supermarket. Although you might not get The Mask or the Sean Connery James Bond films, you could get a stonkingly good Salmon there and other gems from the M&S food range.
So after explaining all of that, brothers I am now having to console myself upon the closure of another shop. This shop brothers, is the closure of The Bodyshop in my area. You’re probably thinking, Captain you mean car body, like a mechanics? We didn’t see you as a petrol head?
First thing, I am not a petrol head … I drive a diesel car, leave me alone it’s 5:42am at time of writing and I need a silly joke to cheer me up. The Bodyshop brothers, is a shop for your own body.
My beloved’s just like with Woolworths, a part of my nostalgic memories went too. I would go every so often into my adult version of Woolworths and window shop, literally buy things that were in their window display (perfume gift sets) .
I promise you now, no more dead jokes .. in this paragraph at least . Now, not like the Superdrug memories of going in there and ‘buying perfume’. There was never any purchasing, but rather try before I buy.
Tried, I did but buy I didn’t. Gillette Wild Rain and Arctic Ice, where you at? It would be them two deodorant scents that I would like the most and in turn spray too. I, looking back do feel sorry for those staff who probably rolled their eyes, when they saw ‘him’ again.
Back to the topic of fragrances though and for me this is my equivalent of a sweet shop. Yes, there are several sweet smells if you like, but I am referring to the fact that you’re in a shop full of perfume excellence and the most gorgeous smells too!
There are several shops that have perfume sections, but the dedicated perfume shops? That’s its own niche. Buying the perfumes online is good, but as Roy Walker said, it’s not quite right, it’s like with any other retail therapy.
At one stage, due to fragrancedirect.co.uk, having a shop or little stall in my work’s premises, I might or might not have had 11 bottles of different perfumes at the time, with the most expensive being £56.
I wasn’t using them as air fresheners either, rest assured.
Some may laugh and say, that’s how much their everyday fragrance would cost and not their most expensive , but I am not Billy big b*lls like you. To sum up my final thoughts, The Bodyshop, you’re going to be missed of sure, the times I forgot to get Eid presents come into mind.
When the old Sid’s fish and chips shut down near my dad’s old shop, (let’s face it was disgusting) and San Ho came to what is now roaring approval looking back, then that’s an example of shops closing down for the better.
Although not my favourite chippy, it was the favourite of others. Maybe a new perfume kid come on that block like San Ho did, all those years back. It’s over and out from The Bearded Captain.
The Bearded Captain 