Comments on: Paul Gardner, paper bag seller

By: Carole

Carole — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:23:38 +0000

I’ve been searching the internet for a local supplier of bags so this is a fantastic little find. Thanks for writing about Paul. I’ll be off there tonight after work!

By: Stephen Davids

Stephen Davids — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:00:10 +0000

I LOVE LOVE this shop – I hope at the time of writing this it is still there as I have not been down to Commercial St for a while. A taste of old East London and old Commercial St when the working girls owned that end of the street and the characters of the Arches were plentiful.

By: krissie

krissie — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 09:03:40 +0000

I’m going to see Paul first thing in the morning for a chat and buy myself some bin bags.

By: WORKHOUSE

WORKHOUSE — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:54:34 +0000

For a change this is a brilliant piece of journalism and a story worth telling .
I always smile at seeing Mr Gardner really enjoying serving anyone who
comes through his door . I love the way he talks and could listen to his opinions
all day long

His influence and service must not disappear from
this street ….. buy buy buy everyone !

I g g I

By: Tabitha Potts

Tabitha Potts — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 15:24:24 +0000

I love this shop and have often bought bags, clips, hooks and other items for my occasional market stalls here. His prices are very good and he has pretty much everything you need to run a market stall. I really hope this business is not forced out, there are so few of the old businesses left that I remember from when I first started living in Spitalfields (in the 70’s). Thanks for writing about it!

By: Herry Lawford

Herry Lawford — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:11:59 +0000

Good work, Roubi. That’s how powerful these blogs can be. I so hope all this exposure of small businesses help some of them to survive. But landlords have always been rapacious unfortunately; human nature doesn’t change much…..
Herry

By: the bespoke tailor

the bespoke tailor — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:58:08 +0000

As a business with a cutting and sewing workroom, we require a steady supply of see-through plastic bags to place the cut cloth ready to schedule for making. This saves us the time of opening the bags repeatedly to see what is inside them and can identify easily the content as they hang on the work-in-progress rail.

The Gardner shop offers us a supplier down the road and a family business which we prefer to support. It was by chance a few years ago were exploring the area as we moved to Folgate Street, that we came across the shop. Following which, we decided to stop purchasing online the bags and buy them for Paul instead. Any other items such as tape which we might see and need, we purchase as well.

Reading this post above, brings concern to us to see that the last remaining independent shops are squeezed by the landlords in favour for more profit and chain businesses.

Interestingly, most new shops/restaurants which opened on the street have shut down. Perhaps, we need to keep such established businesses in place.

By: the gentle author

the gentle author — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:46:08 +0000

In reply to Chris F. Dear Chris, I believe passionately that this need not be the case if we all support Paul Gardner. Seven hundred customers recently signed a petition and successfully saved a garage at Three Colts Lane from developers. Paul Gardner sells the cheapest bags in London so it makes sense for all the stallholders and small businesses to go there. TGA

By: Chris F

Chris F — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:40:24 +0000

Paul’s family have traded here for four generatiions, how is it that he is beholden to a landlord who want to now suck the marrow from his bones? I’ve lived in my own city long enough to see it change beyond recognition. Nearly all of the small independendent retailers have gone only to be replaced by the multi-nationals. It is sad to think that Paul will, without doubt, be forced out of business by the avaricious machinations of his landlord and his agents.