I rather like 'chains' coming to East Dulwich (Lounged)

[Curmudgeon]

Don't get me wrong I love the independents and happily spend hours in (farmer) Palmers and their ilk

But I find our independent shops that seem to be so lauded here blatantly over-priced

I'd love an M&S and / or Waitrose to open here .. but wouldn't give up Iceland for one.

I don't get the furore that occurs every time a 'chain' rears its head .. isn't that the nature of modern day business.

I'd far prefer a chain than a baker selling bread for over ?4 tbh

(I feel rather alone, and slightly nervous, in this unpopulated corner of East Dulwich thought though)

[citizenED]

I do not mind Chains on the Lane either. There were many of them there already before most of us arrived in East Dulwich: Budgens, Somerfield and Iceland and many of the Estate Agents and Banks and I must admit I would like a Smiths or other quality newsagent/stationers. I think the fear is of having an identikit High Street that would be soulless and look like plenty of other high streets. Most who complain probably have a "thin end of the wedge" attitude to life. They worry that the opening of one store means that others will also come in. It's not happened with Caffe Nero yet. How long has that been on the Lane? In fact, since it opened the only other cafe to open on the Lane is the independent Chandelier.

Having said that, one reason ED is soooo great is the mix of stores on the Lane. At the moment it is just about right for me.

[PHILLY]

agree with you would love a M and S and Waitrose could give up Iceland though the shop assistants are very nice would only buy the party foods there

[snorky]

there is a just a touch of subjective snobbery about the whole Chains/Locals argument tnhjat defies much questioning.

[ratty]

I dream of a McDonalds on Lordship Lane but I guess it will never happen! Sigh! :(

[jimbo1964]

They are ok up to a point but it does become tedious when a high street is swamped by them. The Northcote Rd in Battersea has been ruined by them in recent years. Even a few years ago it was full of quirky shops which is why I loved it.. now it's over run with the likes of Jigsaw, Space NK, Starbucks, All Bar One etc, and no amount of local protest could stop it. Also you don't really need a Waitrose as Ocado deliver to SE22 anyway (although I agree it's the nicest shopping experience of all supermarkets).

[snorky]

ratty Wrote:

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

> I dream of a McDonalds on Lordship Lane but I

> guess it will never happen! Sigh! :(

invest in a mc D franchise opportunity mr rat!

[Keef]

Totally agree with you Curmudgeon.

I was going up Lordship Lane on a bus the other day, and it was the first time in ages I'd really paid any attention. The thing that struck me is that (for me) there are actually too many eating places, and not enough shops.

[ratty]

I'd eat all my profits Snorky! :(

I must say that in all seriousness, I think that LL's charm is it's lack of chains. Once in a while you geta road like this and they are always great. Beach Road in Chorlton, Manchester springs to mind as a comparable place if anyone knows it.

Also used to live just off Northcote and totally agree with Jimbo!

[Caron]

I like shops that let me get what I want without having to get the car out and don't care if the people opening suchlike are independent or chain. Very happy with Nero plus the independent cafes and bars we currently have. I don't want any more independent knick knack shops. A good stationer and/or much bigger bookshop with a Nero at the back would be great, imo. At this time of year I'd love a TK Maxx for the Christmas shopping (joke).

We could do with Somerfield moving to Forest Hill Road in place of the perennially understocked, queue-ridden Co-Op and then maybe Waitrose on LL in Somerfield's old premises.

[kford]

Swap Chener Books for Waterstones.

Change the Bishop to an O'Neill's, the EDT an All Bar One.

Make the stationery shop a Rymans.

Green & Blue can be an Oddbins.

Hirst Bakers can be a Greggs.

Change SMBS Foods into a Fresh & Wild.

Franklins could be a Cafe Rouge, Mrs Robinson a Cargo.

Swap all the cafes for Subways, Prets and McDonalds.

And Foxtons to a... Foxtons.

Be careful what you wish for. If you want to live in a clone street, move to Northcote Road!

[JesusCappuccino]

.

[East Dulwich Angst]

This might be an over simplistic view but I think it would be nice to have a good ballance of chains & independants which I feel we've got at the mo.

[kford]

EDA is correct. Something to suit everyone.

[Jessie]

I don't think LL *needs* anything shopwise. We live in London and have plenty of buses to take us to other shopping centres. And I shudder at the thought of Jigsawm(etc), purely from an oh-my-god-extend-my-overdraft-immediately p.o.v. In fact, what I'd like to see are a couple more charity shops.

[Frisco]

"If you want to live in a clone street, move to Northcote Road!"

Last time I went to Northcote Road I thought it had a good mix of shops. ED and LL are very different to Clapham Junction though, so I don't imagine the larger store groups will be queuing to get in here, and I doubt that planning would allow it, or a change of shop types from the other designated shopping areas, such as Rye Lane.

[kford]

I know Northcote is not the best example, but it does have the ubiquitous All Bar One, Nando's etc. Perhaps I should've said Reading. And I hope you're right re planning.

[Keef]

East Dulwich Angst Wrote:

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> This might be an over simplistic view but I think it would be nice to have a good ballance of chains & independants which I feel we've got at the mo.

I agree about the balance, but I don't think it's there now, I want to see more chains.

Swap Chener Books for Waterstones.

Change the Bishop to an O'Neill's

I couldn't agree with these two more!

[kford]

O'Neills? Are you sure, Keef?! It's the fakest of the fake.

[Keef]

I know, but it's good fun and they have live music.

[kford]

Fair enough.

[????]

I suggest you move to Milton Keynes, Swindon is also good for chains

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Can't find the rant thread which if I could I would rant about not being able to fathom the search function on here (sorry Mark, bad mood).

Indulged in fat, juicy steak tonight - a v. rare occurence. I like it accompanied by bearnaise sauce. Rose's didn't stock it (though they have other relishes).

Cheese Block didn't stock it, though they kindly popped to the store a couple of doors up to see if they had it, they didn't.

Somerfield didn't have it.

Assistant in Green & Blue looked at me as if I was a moron (no comments please).

Finally, ED Deli had a miniscule portion for ?2.40.

Point of this rant: it's not an odd request - it's a classic accompaniement to steak - should have gone straight to Sainsburys! Long live big chains - what's the point of lots of poncey shops if they don't deliver?

[dulwichmum]

I think we could do with a really super independent bookshop on Lordship Lane, as inviting and imaginatively presented as Dulwich Books on Croxted Road. The bookshop on the Lane could seriously do with a major overhaul. Another good resource would be a WH Smiths or a Boots, a nice big one, with lots of nice hair products and make-up.

[SeanMacGabhann]

PGC!!

I'm shocked at you - bernaise sauce is indeed a classic sauce to accompany a steak and takes bugger all effort to make a superior sauce to anything you can buy.... next time you plan on having some let us know and I'll make some

*shakes head*

*re reads post as he likes PGC and hopes he wasn't too harsh *

* but really *

;-)