Pete the pom is a Hornsby institution. He's been in the same location (a tiny shop, right at the…read moreback of an arcade off the Florence St Mall for 28 years. Prior to that he was in another location in Hornsby. All up he has been repairing the shoes of Hornsby for the past 35 years. Apparently he arrived from the UK and went to look at a shop in Chatswood but fell asleep on the train, ended up in Hornsby and never left. At least that's the story he tells. He tells a lot of stories. Part of the Pete The Pom experience is the patter. A constant stream of stories and general chatter in fluent cockney (35 years here has done nothing to dull the cockney accent). Gents are called Squire. Ladies are referred to as Darlin or Luv. The other part of the experience is the tiny little shop, packed to the roof with kicknacks and memorabilia. And yes, he does have a story about each and every piece. Even the shoe repair machinery has a story - it came over from England with him and dates back to his Father and Grandfather's time (he's from a long line of cobblers). A visit to Pete the Pom is an experience. Oh yeah... and he also repairs shoes. Really, really well. If it can be fixed, he will fix it. If it can't be fixed, he will probably manage to fix it anyway. And cheaply too. Usually the dodgy shoe repair kiosks in Westfield will charge more for a worse job.

Pete is a scream! Love his work ethic, customer service and efficiency. His offsider is great too!read more

Did you think Diana Ferrari only made shoes? I did. So colour me surprised when the new boutique…read moreopened up at Westfield Hornsby and it's stocked full of frocks! They're pretty little numbers, especially seeing as we're in spring racing season. Some of the patterns are a little OTT and turquoise for my taste, but if you rifle through the racks, you can find quite the array of fashionable cuteness. Best yet, the dresses and suits seem to be designed for actual women - you know, women with hips and boobs. That's always appreciated. My first, shocked, visit, I ended up buying a sweet little top that is very well made and has worn extremely well. So while I don't think it'll be a regular shopping spot for me (especially considering I avoid clothes shopping!), I know enough now to a) not be shocked by the sight of dresses rather than shoes and b) go in and have a browse for a well fitting frock.