A very quick look at the 1,000s of decorations for sale in a nearby village gift shop/cafe which every year turns into a shop selling the biggest collection of beautiful Christmas bits and bobs in Mid Suffolk.
Every shape, every colour - you name it they have it. Just three photos but you get the gist!
I always wonder how long does it take to get them all set up like this? after clearing away most of their usual stock. Do they keep what isn't sold somewhere from one year to another? They surely can't sell everything?
Questions, questions, questions!.................... but it does look exceedingly Christmassy and brings people from miles around to their shop/cafe/hairdressers and the adjacent homeware/garden store/hardware/builders supplies business with many other small businesses in units in their yard.
All starting nearly 70 years ago with a small second-hand shop in a house. I remember going there with Dad as a child and buying a little suitcase which I used for doll's clothes for many years.
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Yesterday's coffee for day 10 of advent was back to Dark Roast - enough for more than one cup. I'm adding the extra of the ordinary coffees I don't use each morning into my usual Aldi ground coffee packet - my 24 days will be enough for several more days.
Yesterday was my 1,000 game of NYT Wordle - it told me I had a 1,000 Wordles Badge! and a 98% win rate.
I play it when having breakfast, which is why my laptop gets sticky from marmalade! and also do the Connections (failing often), Pips, (only the easy one) and Strands. I used to do the mini crossword but they made that subscribe only.
Christmas cards are posted and friends from Essex visited in the afternoon - good to catch up.
I do wordle, quordle and the crossword with my first cup of tea, sitting up in bed. I darent use my tablet and eat marmalade toast at the same time!
ReplyDeleteI do sometimes get a bit messy with toast marmalade and laptop
DeleteYes what do they do with the left over Christmas stock? Colours have changed this year with pastel coloured Christmas bits so can't really keep them for another year, its a puzzlement!
ReplyDeleteThere are some gorgeous things in the shop - but I stick to second-hand from charity shops
DeleteThe displays are enticing, and who can not be tempted. Christmas is big business now, everyone, everywhere trying to cash in on it. I just wonder what will happen when our homes reach saturation point. I know of people who have to rent a storage unit now to store Christmas in! That would be a business in itself wouldn't it...Christmas storage lockers in convenient places like the Inpost lockers popping up everywhere now but bigger!
ReplyDeleteSome of those storage things are really expensive. I've just got a box in the bottom of the built in wardrobe so have to limit what I store
DeleteThat's an amazing story, to turn a small second-hand shop to a great flourishing business over 70 years. They must be really hard workers and good business men (women?) to have done so well.
ReplyDeleteIt started with one man and his family and then in-laws and family and now it's grandchildren running different parts of the business
DeleteSuch beautiful decorations. We were disappointed with the choice in our local garden centre this year. Husband, youngest daughter and I all play Wordle. I recently lost my Wordle streak :( but got it in 5 today. I used to be a in league with old work colleagues on the mini crossword, we were so disappointed when it went subscribe only.
ReplyDeleteIf I go out before breakfast I sometimes forget to do wordle when I get back, which counts as a fail which is Really Annoying!
DeleteThe Christmas shop looks very inviting. I'm sure they do very good business. Hard work, attention to detail and word of mouth go a long way to building a successful business.
ReplyDeleteAlways really busy, but even more so at Christmas - the cafe often has a queue
DeleteI would have a great deal of trouble restraining myself here! But I sure wouldn't want to be on the set-up and take-down crew!
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely things it would be easy to spend a fortune but with limited space - and money- I rarely buy - just look and enjoy
DeleteA very lovely display , well done them. Thank you for all your great Christmas posts, its helping me get into the spirit 😍
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
That's lovely to hear - thank you. I'm just hoping to find enough ideas to keep going - I usually do - somehow
DeletePacked full of Christmas! I have collected so many Christmas decorations over the years that I don’t have room for anymore… but still enjoy window shopping. Enjoy your day! Cali
ReplyDeleteThe colours are so lovely and tempting - my 'new' bits this year are all small and from charity shops and fairs
DeleteThat is an overwhelming amount of Christmas decorations, I think I would have to head to the relative calm of the homewares section. I had to check my Wordle stats after reading yours, we are very similar but I have played 1062 games including todays ... which ironically given the word I took all six turns to work out.
ReplyDeleteIt's just so colourful in there and easy to send a while looking at everything although it's usually too busy to linger.
DeleteI got todays in 4 - my usual- It's annoying if I forget to do it one day and lose a long run.
Oh, that's a fabulous looking store! I can see why they have been popular for so long. I'm enjoying my advent jigsaw puzzle - the days are flying by aren't they? I do a crossword puzzle each morning - I get the books cheap at the resale shops.
ReplyDeleteAlways very busy - and the hardware/kitchen store is such a handy thing to have locally all year round
DeleteI often thought having a garage sale or boit sale promoted as a Christmas pop up and really clear out and give new life to favorite but no longer used items. Your coffee calendar is a nice treat.
ReplyDeleteThere is a one off Christmas Car boot sale coming up - hoping for fine weather to go and look.
DeleteI feel quite overwhelmed by the amount of Christmas decor on offer and would probably be unable to choose from all the stuff on offer. I do Wordle and Connections each morning to start my day. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI rarely succeed with Connections - - Strands is good if you haven't tried it - more chance of completing
DeleteThe individual that started the business built a family empire. They must do very well. They have something for everyone. Someone could go in for hardware and end up buying Christmas decorations...or having a coffee.
ReplyDeleteNever tried Pips, but Dan and I frequently put our heads together to do Strands and Connections at the breakfast table.
ReplyDeleteThe Times online Polygon, Concise Crossword, Codeword, Sudoko and number puzzles with the morning pot of tea. I have been using Christmasy images like those in Advent for a daily online jigsaw puzzle of about 150 pieces. For a daily treat I have had small portions of various dried fruits and nuts, my homemade advent calendar.
ReplyDeleteI adore shops like this. I've always had a secret fantasy of being allowed to sleep there after everyone has gone home.
ReplyDeletethat is rather a lovely shop, isn't it? and there is a tremendous amount of stock. So it will be interesting if you find out what happens to it. can't say I'm a huge fan of the glaucous green Santa's but then I'm very much a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas, I like red and green.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous place to browse and purchase decor for Christmas. I think I could spend all day looking around.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
That shop looks lovely! I have participated in an ornament exchange for nearly 30 years, all done anonymously. We send them as a tie in to the Betsy-Tacy books so I am always on the lookout for ornaments that can fit a theme. I have noticed people really decorating their exteriors quite early this year. I'll be lucky if I have time to get my artificial tree down from the attic before Christmas Eve!
ReplyDeleteWow that is a very Christmas-y display!
ReplyDelete