Comments on: At Blustons

By: holly

holly — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 21:35:54 +0000

My mum Angela barber was a Saturday girl here in the early 70’s she was very sad to hear that blustons is closing. Xx

By: Darren

Darren — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 08:17:50 +0000

I worked in sainsburys when it was next door to blustons I 1987 til it closed in 1989 now I am still at Camden sainsburys. but have always wondered what was the shop before it was sainsburys I heard it was called a e Daniels any ideas a diapers store

By: nickygrace

nickygrace — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:04:04 +0000

I drove past Blustons this morning. I love it so much. I’ve never been inside though. I will make a special effort to go in next time. x

By: Benedict Wormald

Benedict Wormald — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:35:17 +0000

We LOVE this store….want to start a facebook group for it!!!!!!

By: Jinx

Jinx — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:10:24 +0000

I wish they sold online! If the shirtwaist dresses are cotton, I and my friends would buy them up! I wear a US 18 petite, and the “plus size clothes” here in the US fit like garbage, wear out fast, and are made of cheap poly. And not half as cute as those, even the “frumpy Queen” dresses!

Funny that the store and its customers are about the same age!

By: Annie

Annie — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:09:01 +0000

I was very interested to read the history of Blustons, I have passed it many times on the bus and found it fascinating as it reminded me of the sort of independent clothes shops that were around when I was a child (and I must confess I wondered how they managed to keep going!)

By: Ron Goldstein

Ron Goldstein — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 06:27:33 +0000

Michael (of Blustons) & Joan

Thanks for the prompt comments.

Whilst not wishing to offer myself up as a Yiddish translator I feel it right to say that “Shlep” is literally to carry, usually a bulky or heavy load, and the use of the phrase here implied that the unsuspecting browser was literally carried, willy-nilly, into the depth of the shop 🙂

By: Joan

Joan — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:21:48 +0000

Have just walked down a bit of Brick Lane after an emergency dash to get a present (Rough Trade), some watercolour paper (Atlantis) and 3 dozen plain beigels. Can’t help but think of all those proprietors of curry houses trying to generate trade as modern day ‘shleppers’.

Best wishes,

Joan

By: Michael Albert

Michael Albert — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:59:15 +0000

We did not have a shlepper. My dad (Harry) used to do it in his time at the shop. We know that lots of other shops did.

By: Ron Goldstein

Ron Goldstein — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 09:33:43 +0000

As always, a lovely chunk of nostalgia.

Just a thought that perhaps someone from Blustons could answer ?

Pre-war, most clothing shops of this type and certainly those in Crisp St., Poplar, used to employ a “Shlepper” to stand outside the shop and “shlepp” the customers inside if they were just looking in the window and trying to make up their mind.

Did Blustons ever do this ?