Town Traders
London Road
By Des Wilson
For this column, I’ve slipped over the boundary to St Leonards and been reminded of journeys to places such as Marrakesh, Istanbul and Cairo where I always headed for the bazaars, or ‘souks’ as they call them.
In the UK, London has its outdoor markets, like Portobello Road or ones in Camden or Brick Lane but if you want to experience a local ‘souk’ you need to head for the corner of Norman and London Roads where Nick and Jill Nicolaou run what they call ‘the big shop with little windows’.
You discover why when you wander around its 2000 square feet of winding passages and little ‘caves’ and become fascinated by its hidden depths, the colour and variety of items on sale, and by the ingenuity of its organisation based on a London tube station.
Each of the traders who rent space in this ‘station’ they call London Road has a poster describing their corner of the surprisingly spacious premises as a ‘platform’ (there’s even a First Class one), and cards and stationery reflecting the signage you see on the London underground.
Nick, who is in his mid-fifties and was born into a Greek family, was raised in London and came to live in Sussex when he was nine. For 10 years before he came to the London Road premises with Jill, his wife and business partner, he ran a pine furniture workshop on the Battle Road.
To stock their ‘platform’ at London Road they travel to auctions, trade fairs, second-hand sales and house clearances and buy carpets, lampshades, glasses and decanters, garden furniture, and quirky children’s toys. The pair share an eye for what’s out of the ordinary, items likely to appeal to those who plan a colourful home.
Other ‘platforms’ are rented out: one is full of cushions and cushion covers, one of tin and enamel stuff including three big tin baths and watering cans. Another displays polished brass and copper objects including kitchen scales and, oddly, a trumpet (much of this is imported from Hungary). There are surprises around every corner in what one visitor described as a ‘labyrinth of intrigue.’
Most days you will find Nick sitting outside the ‘station’ surrounded by olive trees, garden tools, and pine furniture, and on the lookout for the occasional caller who tries to compliment them on the quality of the goods by pinching them.
‘I have a word with them and send them on their way,’ Nick says magnanimously as we sit by the front door in the shade, and he greets the many London Roaders he knows as they pass by.
Read about other traders in this series:
Hare and Hawthorn
Robert’s Rummage
The Cigar and Pipe Shop
The Hat Shop
The Albion Bookshop
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