General News
11 October, 2024
A void in the heart of town: fire shuts three local favorites in Horsham
A Mum's World: Shops' memories live on in the community.
Three of my favourite shops in town are closed today as I write this.
A raging fire in the wee small hours has reduced one to a pile of blackened bricks, one to a silent smokey haunt of beautifully dressed mannequins and one to a lonely boutique inhabited with all things lovely and gay but none of the usual laughter, fragrance or life.
I've spent a pretty penny in all three shops and have loved them dearly for being there for me when I needed them.
All of my daughters are still wearing their glamorous flip flop slippers with pom-poms from Abode that have made them look like Persian Princesses since Christmas.
Exquisit recently saved our lives with a full-length dress and black and white knit for Tiani to wear for her vocal showcase last month.
Finally, Farmhouse Deli - as we knew it - has been the scene of many a diversion because we used it to escape from the humdrum of our everyday lives.
Most recently, Tiani twisted my arm to go in for some scaloppine and mashed potato with a freshly juiced 'Red Symons' on the side.
We were going to squeeze in delicious dessert as well, but I was worried we'd be spotted, and although a trip to the doctor and pharmacist can get you out of school for a lesson or two - we were starting to push the boundaries of believability - so I got my bandit back class before we got busted.
Stolen moments that are even more precious memories now.
I know it's the done thing to shop online these days, but that doesn't keep our neighbours employed or in business.
Online shopping doesn't give us somewhere beautiful to feel the weight of a gift, or catch-up for coffee with a friend.
Online shopping certainly doesn't help you see if that shade of apricot absolutely drains the colour right out of your face.
Our delightful shops and shopkeepers do that; give us somewhere to live a little, dream a little and be diverted from our laundry piles.
Our shops are a beautiful thread in the fabric of our lives, creating the heart of our city where people can feel seen and heard, known and connected.
They help us feel like we belong. Thankyou.