Arthur Gardiners Mans Shop

A Memory of South Harrow.

I worked as a Saturday boy in Arthur Gardiners in the mid 1970's. Across the road was a dry cleaners run by a guy called Rudi, who employed a beautiful blond girl called Lisa, who also worked Saturday. On the corner between the shop and Woolies was a green grocer who used to spend all day shouting out his prices. There was a cake shop called Garners where we used to get cream cakes to have with our tea. Working with me was; Cliff Marsden, Norman, Sidney the tailor, and Morris. Up the road was Sellanby records with their distinctive yellow bags who moved from the far side of the bridge to a shop next to the bus stop by the station. The corner shop near the crossing was Fine Fair, where my mum did some temp work for Birds Eye. Ketts was on the corner with their TV's in the window. A small crowd would gather on Saturday to look through the window to try and see the football scores, so the owners used to turn off the TV's. After all, why would you want a crowd outside your shop looking at the products and generating interest in the shop window? I think they missed a trick there. There was talk in the spare land next to and behind Arthur Gardiners to be used to build a car park, but the Council didn't think there would be a demand for it. Another strange decision.

Screaming Lord Sutch was a regular visitor to the shop. AG used to claim you could walk into the shop naked and walk out dressed for any occasion.

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