Starbucks opposite ED station???

[Jeremy]

Sorry if I sounded negative, but even when the queue looks long, it tends to go down fairly quickly. And I don't think that you can really plan a business around the customers of one other shop!

I think that an independant could do as well as a chain, it's just that it's hard to compete price-wise, so in order to attract customers, you generally have to offer something which the established names do not.

Kathryn Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Jeremy - Really. I'm quite sad I thought that

> would be a winning market. Maybe ice lollies in

> the summer. There is quite a queue you know.

>

> I'm just sad that people seem dont seem to think

> that independant could do it as well or better

> than a chain.

[SimonM]

>> Yes, I spend a fortune in there, and end up with random rubbish like a tiny bunch of coriander, some dishwasher tablets and kitchen paper with picture of Pooh the bear on it. <<

Dear oh dear. Why do you think God invented "Ocado"?!

Sainsbury's has a much better range of bread-making flour and also sells "Illy" coffee beans - to which I am hopelessly addicted - so I still go there regularly, but other than that....

[dulwichmum]

Mr Simon M,

Clearly I do all of my real shopping on Ocado, but in search of a good coffee and some space - I had been making random visits to Sainsbury's on Dog Kennel Hill. Not any more, I can assure you!

[Jo]

Firstly I refuse to lose the funny little furniture shop with the cigar smoking posh talking owner. He's hilarious. In a non laugh out loud sort of way. But they do have some nice furniture sometimes, and if rent went up along there I doubt they'd be able to survive. And where would the local teenagers get their rice and peas??

It is a bit of shame about Starbucks - it was the only way I could get my lovely young man to come shopping. Now there's no promise of a decent latte he'll never come. Admittedly we mostly use Ocado now, and whenever he did come shopping we spent twice as much and still had nothing for dinner so perhaps it's not such a bad thing.

[Domitianus]

Starbucks do bloody scrummy chocolate caramel shortbread, you know. Nothing to touch it since Cafe Nero stopped doing their individual portions of Tirimasu. Anyone know why they stopped?

[mikese22]

Domitianus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Starbucks do bloody scrummy chocolate caramel

> shortbread, you know. Nothing to touch it since

> Cafe Nero stopped doing their individual portions

> of Tirimasu. Anyone know why they stopped?

the new Green & Blue bar does amazing carrot cake and great coffee (in big white mugs!) and if your sunday morning paper reading drags on you can ease yourself seamlessly from coffee to wine

[mumra]

Dear dulwichmum,

Have to tell you that I went to Sainsbury's today and there is a plan up of the new store and - wait for it - Starbucks is on there! Now, please check for yourself and don't take my word for it but I'm pretty sure the Vente Lattes and gingerbread men will be back.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Mumra,

Thank you so much for that! You have made my weekend, or my month - and it has only just began. I was beginning to think of starting up some kind of public campaign to bring Starbucks back to Saino's as some kind of public serice. We get damn little else for our tax payers money.

I shall pop in during the week to check the plan for myself and to buy a small bunch of coriander or some lemongrass!

[TJS]

Just done a little research and appreas that the planning application for 15 Grove vale was agreed with the group floor being an A1 or A2 type premises:

A1 Shops

Shops, post offices, travel agents, hairdressers, funeral directors, internet

caf?s, dry cleaners (but retail warehouse clubs are excluded).

A2 Financial and professional services

Banks, building societies, betting offices, and other financial and

professional services provided mainly to visiting members of the public.

A3 Restaurants and caf?s

Use for the sale of food and drink for consumption on the premises.

A4 Drinking establishments

Use as a public house, wine-bar or other drinking establishment (but not a

night club).

A5 Hot food takeaways

Use for the sale of hot food for consumption off the premises.

So it will probaly be a newsagents or a betting shop...fankily neither will do anything to help this part of east dulwich.

[bawdy-nan]

Not sure what's meant by shops getting their act together. What kind of shops do we need. Surely we've enough gift and novelty shops to satisfy even the slackest of flimflamophiles.

There's not much I can't get within walking distance even avoiding the supermarkets which make my mind go fizzy.

I'd like to see a decent bread shop and, possibly, a much bigger second-hand / recycling kind of facility - a kind of East Dulwich freecycle non-stop round about of useful things.

We've got fish, we've got meat, we've got veg, we've got books, we've got a fine selection of boozeries (in and out), we've got pegs and pharmacists. By the looks of things at the station end it appears, to my ill-trained eye, that we even have a shoe-maker (am I right?).

Surely we're in need of nothing else ...

[louisiana]

Man - and particularly woman - does not live by pegs alone.

A good bakery would be great, as would a good and extensive fruit and veg. I think a cycle shop would be no bad idea. I'm going to be buying a new one this weekend, and will have to hike townwards, together with fellow cyclist Mr L.

And talking of flimflam shops, I was in ED yesterday morning and bought a very practical summer skirt, not flimflam (though I was tempted).

Louisiana

[kingtubby]

Louisiana

If you are looking for a bike you might like to try Edwards in Camberwell. Large shop, excellent stock, nice staff and you get a discount if are an LCC member. They also give a free first service, or even Brixton cycles (it is a bit legendary in S London cycle circles) who also give the discount. I find Evans a bit hit or miss..(not that I am anti-chain)

[bawdy-nan]

Bike shop excellent idea - there's a strange but marvellous place hidden away near Loughborough Junction. It has an online presence - Discount Cycles but they do exist and were very very helpful when I bought my new bike (they do free delivery). They do free follow up services etc.

Which purveyor of flim-flammery provided you with the skirt. I spent a very hideous couple of hours at Selfridges on Sunday trying to spend birthday gift vouchers. I came away empty handed concluding that I hate all clothes and shoes. I absolutely hate shopping but find the small flim-flammers of ED much easier to cope with. Small selections much easier. I once nearly fainted in John Lewis when trying to buy a kettle only to faced with a giant wall of at least 40 to choose from. FORTY!

I had to call home for instructions on how to choose.

Surely, in light of the need for reduction in energy use, pegs are, truly, a vital tool in the responsible urbanite's box o-tricks ...

[Huguenot]

Hmm, I don't understand your previous post BN - are you suggesting leaving the shops derelict, or do you have a priority that you'd like to see addressed?

Bakery's a good idea. On the others, places like the butchers do need a competitor or they'll get complacent and their prices will rise...

[louisiana]

bawdy-nan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bike shop excellent idea - there's a strange but

> marvellous place hidden away near Loughborough

> Junction. It has an online presence - Discount

> Cycles but they do exist and were very very

> helpful when I bought my new bike (they do free

> delivery). They do free follow up services etc.

>

> Which purveyor of flim-flammery provided you with

> the skirt.

That was ED on North Cross Road. Most of the back of the shop is devoted to clothes, and they have a few shoes too.

Louisiana

[bawdy-nan]

Not sure there are many derelict shops up by the station are there?

I quite like there being the odd ones - I mean cigar puffing hurumphing posh second hand dealer and shoe-maker with lasts.

I'm probably very unimaginative but I can't think what else would work on Lordship Lane or rather, whats missing from the high street. I think a more adventurous stationers or kid friendly art supplies shop would do well. Maybe one that ran workshops too (thereby also satisfying the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Baroness types who don't like the ED children swarming round their feet whilst trying to sip their coffees). I'd love to be able to go somewhere to buy big slopping tubes of poster paint and knock together a giant robot with my two squidlings whilst snaffling bacon sarnies and swigging from a large mug of tea of a saturday morning /afternoon.

I had a terrifying experience in "Puffin Crafts". I went in trying to find emergency face paints for a kids party. A group of stern ashen faced crocheteers were gathered round a table engaged in their crafting. There peered round to tell me that this was an "adult crafts" shop. I fled muttering something about their not being very customer friendly and secretly fearing a gimp-mask workshop area out the back.

Ideally I'd love to see more seafood - though my preference would be for door to door / pub to pub winkle-type seller.

[bawdy-nan]

oh and there is a fantastic fruit and veg place. Pretty Traditional on on Northcross Road is utterly splendid I think. Lovely forced rhubarb, celeriac , broad beans, those lovely apples. Granted the organic premium can mount up but they don't only do organic. The nursery where I'm treasurer has an account there and its bargain.

You can get a veg box delivered weekly or go in place your order and have it delivered later. I think its my favourite shop in the entire postcode

[Domitianus]

Fractionater - if your sister confirms it once and for all - it won't be a rumour any more!