This sign is
a genuine landmark of Reading, Berkshire. Its a work of art. It
scowls down at the passerby from the second floor of an abandoned
storefront in the nebulous, nameless grey area between Friar Street
and Market Place. The boards are covering the windows of a building
that has been a gutted wreck for almost ten years.
And, before
you ask, that is the proprietor of The Bag Shop. They sell bags and
their cash register is a literally a cardboard box under a desk.
Prices are not actually negotiable but more decided by the proprietor
on the basis of how much he likes you. The last time I bought a bag
there he gave me the full disapproving scowl for ten uncomfortable,
mildly invasive seconds and then turned to his assistant and said:
“It is the salad man, twenty percent off.”
After which
he swept imperiously into the backroom. I have no idea if I got
twenty percent off (no actual prices on the bags) but it was a warm,
glowing feeling to have the verbal approval of the man whose image
had been scowling down at me on my way into town every day for years.
No comments:
Post a Comment