Tramway stables, cow sheds, motor bus proprietors, telephone call office, picturedrome, cinema, knitwear factory and DIY store- never has a building had such a varied history as the one that is now the Handyman's Supermarket. It's worth visiting if only to catch a whiff of sawdust, also known as the international smell representing things getting done, manfully.
This is a store that looks at glossy bungler-havens like B&Q before shaking its head and smiling with a faint air of pity. The place is so comfortable in its mettle that it doesn't need to tidy up. Tools and bits of wood are strewn across the bare floorboards and you half expect the back corner to be occupied by a burly blacksmith belting a horse-shoe into shape.
That's not to say it's arrogant. The staff here are superlatively helpful and will listen with eager patience as you waffle on about what angle of doorstop you need or what kind of hammer you require to wrench nails out of a botched picture frame. Then they shall find the item within arm's reach, making you feel like an utter cretin. Also, they cut keys. read more