Viva Lewes Issue #138 March 2018

COLUMN
Lewes Out Loud
Plenty more Henty
These days I seem
to do a lot of it.
Shopping. Mostly
in Lewes, of course,
with the occasional
sortie into Brighton
or by train to Eastbourne.
Walk out of
Eastbourne Station
currently and you
are confronted by
the vast Arndale
Centre which has
grown alarmingly
in the past year.
Where retail business is concerned, I happily
confess to being small-minded. I like small shops
– even ran one myself once – and here in eccentric
Lewes, we do have our fair share of such enterprising
endeavours.
However, from recent evidence on these very
pages, it is clear that some shops are struggling,
with murmurs of unreasonable parking charges,
rocketing rates and more and more competition
from nationwide chains.
Yet they survive. Thank goodness then for Si of
the records on Station Street, Rick and his Ground
coffee team in Lansdown Place and my favourite,
Bonne Bouche, in St Martin’s Lane. Owner Gilda
Frost (above) could argue that she’s literally ‘in
the pink’ having taken over the tiny shop from
Elizabeth Syrett who first opened it in 1987.
“Friends advised me not to buy the shop” Gilda
told me, “It’s down a side street and so small – how
can you possibly make any money?” She ignored
the friendly advice. “It’s true the shop didn’t make
a huge profit but it has outstayed many other
chocolate shops in the town so Elizabeth must have
done something right.” The doubting friends are
now some of Gilda’s best customers.
I note the
former Brats
premises on
School Hill has
been re-opened
as ‘Charlotte’s
Dragon’ by a car
boot friend of
mine, Carol and
her husband,
Gordon. They
are raising funds
for the Teenage
Cancer Trust, in
memory of their
daughter who, sadly, died from the disease.
Moving from small shops to small talk. One or two
brief encounters now, and where better to start
than the Tuesday market in the Town Hall. Here I
spotted Jean who once sold a gnome to me in the
St Peter and St James Hospice shop. She reminds
me of this whenever we meet. Jolly Jean was trying
on what appeared to be a leopard skin skirt to
match her snazzy cap and boots. I approved. She
bought it.
On the terraces at the Dripping Pan stood June,
on her own. She travels to watch the Rooks from
her home in Polegate. Sometimes with her son,
John. They normally stand on the open banking,
facing the main stand, but not on this occasion. I
can rarely remember a worse afternoon for weather
and I congratulated her on making the journey.
Jean also travels to some away games she told me.
Heading towards Station Street from a cinema
visit in the early evening, I was approached by two
young South London guys who were clearly lost.
“Where is Lewes football club?” one of them asked
hesitantly, “We’re down here for training.” “Follow
me” I instructed. “You’re joining a great club. I’m
one of the owners!” Joint disbelief! John Henty
97