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Binnister toys.. ah those were the days! I used to go in there as a kid and I remember being told once on my birthday by the lady behind the counter that 'teenage mutant ninja turtles' were on ration and only one customer could by one at a time! excellent! what's in it's place now? some cafe?
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Reminds me of a classic toy shop at home in the Midlands. It was a standing joke that if he (Harry Hughes) didnt have what you wanted - it would "Be in on Thursday". Thursday presumably being the day he went to the wholesaler.


I remember a red tractor and trailer with great affection ........

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I seem to remember Binnister toys was next to the Opticians yes! It was a family run business too, fondly remember going in their a few times over the years... Before that of course, for the older members amongst us, that shop was where the notorious murder of a shop keeper happened during a 1970's robbery which went tragically wrong.. That was when it was a sweetie shop..
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Anyone remember the short-lived model railway shop? It was run by the brother of Holman the electrician, who had a shop somewhere near Franklins. The model railway shop was tucked round the back of the business centre behind what is now the butcher. My brother went there once. Maybe he was the only ever customer.
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When I came to Dulwich Holman's had the shop that is now William Rose. Some model railway trains were on display in his window. We went round the back to the model railway shop a number of times when we were starting on our first layout (still not finished!). I wondered how he ever managed to make a profit.
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I don't think that the main William Rose space was ever the model railway shop, though as you say he had a window display there. The shop itself sold pine furniture, but the market for that sort of furniture shop died with the Ikea invasion. Next came the double-glazing shop with the cow on the roof, and the lingerie shop - possibly East Dulwich's most ill-fated retail idea of all time given those huge windows - before sanity finally returned with the butcher. But I still want a model railway shop. Maybe Miss Haversham next to the butchers would oblige. Something for the customers to look at while they queue.
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>>>that shop was where the notorious murder of a shop keeper happened during a 1970's robbery which went tragically wrong.. That was when it was a sweetie shop.<<<<


It wasn't the shopkeeper - it was local off-duty P.C. George Hammond - quite a popular local beat bobby - who was stabbed by a local 17 year old inside the shop as the latter tried to steal the takings (a sweet shop for goodness sake! As we see from recent events at Willow. local thieves seem not to be blessed with much in the way of common sense) George was severely wounded and in fact suffered chronic faliure as a direct result of the stabbing and was on the critical list at King's for quite a while and not expected to survive. He did make a recovery of sorts though, although remained a renal patient and had to retire. He died a few years later so, technically at least, he was not murdered,,,,

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Was that definitely the same time? I thought the policeman died in the 80's, as he used to come to our school to talk to us when I was there. That guy definitely died, but maybe it's a different policeman.... ED being the dangerous hood that it is ;-)


Funnt how a nice thread about a toy shop has gone a bit depressing... :-S

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