Thursday 1 July 2010

Talking of shops in Stalybridge


I have been battling with an annoying leak on a garden hose tap for ages. Being the ‘king of the bodge’ I have done everything to avoid fixing it properly. I have spent good money on PTFE and Duct Tape - none of which cured the damn leak. Today I decided to take drastic action and dismantled the tap where I discovered a perished washer. I hopped onto my bike and set off in the direction of B&Q. I then thought; hold on hypocrite - what about the small shops struggling to survive in Stalybridge and changed direction and went in search of a plumbing/hardware shop in Stalybridge.

Close to Stalybridge train station I found the ideal shop - Stalybridge Homecare. I went in and presented my perished washer to the gentleman behind the counter and asked “have you got one of these”. The gentleman in question is a true fountain of knowledge, he replied yes and asked me if I would like to know the history of this type of washer. I answered yes and he told me they were developed at the dawn of the age of steam and their design has never been bettered since. He said the only reason they leak is when they are disturbed and he said yours must have been disturbed prior to the leak - and he was spot on as it had! He then proceeded to tell me how to install it correctly and how to avoid future leaks. How much did the washer and all the useful information cost me? 10p, yes ten whole pence. I felt humbled by the amount and considered giving a tip for the excellent advice given but then I thought he make take it as an insult and decided against.

Had I gone to B&Q or a similar store I am certain I would have had to buy a whole pack of washers just to get the one I needed. I am sure if I spoke to a member of staff at such a store my only question would have been “where are your washers please” to which they would have duly pointed me in the right direction. In my opinion there is no beating a small independent establishment such as Stalybridge Homecare. The product range in this store is brilliant, the prices are good and the proprietor offers first class practical advice. I give Stalybridge Homecare a 10/10 rating. Next time you are in the market for DIY products do yourself a favour and head for this excellent little shop, and if you have time for a chat bring up the Stockton & Darlington Railway of 1825 and you will leave with a head full of knowledge on our industrial past as well as the product you purchased.

55 comments:

Down the 'bridge said...

Directly opposite the old Palace Cinema, now ANOTHER bloody nightclub.

Anonymous said...

Yes, that's the one.There are too many pubs and clubs in Staly.

Tameside Tory said...

Forget shops like this. E-Commerce and the Digital Economy is the way forward for small business.

Maggie's Clit said...

Tameside Tory is absolutely right: we should all capitulate to unbridled market forces, put our kids on the game to derive a healthy income stream from monied paedos, use our camcorder/phones to make snuff films that can be sold in an online shop etc

Anonymous said...

THICKO TAMESIDE TORY how long would it take to order and receive a 10p washer dont talk like a fat t--- the advice alone was invaluble plus he had to show the person what he wanted had he sent the washer off to the stupid e commerce whats its name!!! a first class stamp would be the price of 6 washers.YOU ARE STARTING TO GET ON MY NERVES NOW DORIS!!!!!

Anonymous said...

HOW CAN I GET ON TAMESIDE EYE I HAVE ENTERED MY GOOGLE E MAIL ADDRESS AND PASWORD BUT IT SAYS IVE NOT BEEN INVITED HOW VERY DARE IT DOES THAT SITE MACHINE THINGY KNOW WHO I AM I WANT IT TO INVITE ME NOW OR I WILL DESTROY IT LIKE THE POLITICAL ASSISTANTS

Anonymous said...

why dosent TAMESIDE TORY buy his pies and sausage rolls on line instead of greggs COS THE FAT SWINE WOULD STARVE TO DEATH BEFORE THEY CAME

Sam Bates Jnr said...

Maggie's Clit they should never have abolished national service in this country. All these youths hanging around the streets causing trouble, should be sent out to Africa to help the population there. We live in a society in which it seems, getting pregnant three or four times before you are even out of your teens is a normal thing to do these days. Britain has the highest rate of teenage binge drinkers, drug users, youth crime. A society held to ransom because of successive governments soft approach to these social problems. Lets have hardline, radical solutions to get rid of the above problems in our life time. Send the yobs to the third world to work in the slums helping the people there. Birch the little bastards and have them beg for mercy. Teach them a lesson not let them off with it all the time.

Anonymous said...

SORRY>>>>>>>> tameside tory.... i was convinced you were mellor rd mincer ive just spoken to him to have a giggle about what i have been saying and HE SAID ITS NOT HIM.. SO I APPOLOGISE PROFUSELY TO YOU,ALL THE INSULTS WERE MEANT FOR MRM BUT I STILL DONT AGREE WITH E COMMERCE.

Tameside Tory said...

E-Commerce is the way forward. This place is full of socialist dinosaurs who hark back to by-gone days. Leave the traditional industries to the developing world and embrace the digital age as the way forward.

Reimer said...

Tameside Tory said...
"E-Commerce is the way forward. This place is full of socialist dinosaurs who hark back to by-gone days. Leave the traditional industries to the developing world and embrace the digital age as the way forward."

This sounds so much like the sort of glib crap spouted by Patrick Minford clones, iconoclastic academics from the LSE and twatty 'Social Forecasters' in denim jackets that I can't help suspecting that the prankster behind Strength Through Diversity has found a new alias.

Peace is pointless said...

What we need is a f*****g good war to sort out what side people and 'communities' are on. That would clear the air.

Mechanised slaughter said...

Beautiful man!

Alf Garnett said...

Tameside Tory you talk aload of crap and is this because all you can do is push keys on a keyboard ? Go and get a proper job coz this is whats rong with this country at the min ? you are all lazy fuckers and dont want to get you hands dirty ? BE A MAN AND GET A MANS JOB

mother to be stoned to death in Iran said...

Write into the Iranian embassy to pleade for mercy for this poor woman.

they are savages said...

That is how savage people behave and that is the reason they will bring civil war to our land when they feel strong enough to impose their stone age laws on us.

Anonymous said...

This is an excellent post by Tameside Citizen. He reminds us of the excellent service and (very) fair prices charged by these independent shops. We will miss them when they are gone, and they are best helped by publicity like this. TC, you should write to the local papers to spread the word further.

Running a shop like that must be really difficult. He probably buys the washers for 1p and sells them for 10p....but 9p won't go far towards his wages, shop rent, business rates etc. I guess their hope is that such service on a 10p washer will mean you'll return to buy your higher value items.

I'll try and stop myself next time I find myself on the way to b&q.

Anonymous said...

Anyone, is it true political assistants at Tameside council have been removed, if its true well done Cllr Quinn.
I heard that the cars had been sent back, you can see there is no longer a civic parking area in Ashton.

gone said...

How good is it now that West is no longer on the blogs,not sure who moved him on and don't really care just glad he gone.

John Roberts said...

The PC loonies are out in force on Taylor's blog under the Mr Stuart's class posting, check it out.

Howard Nash said...

'Running a shop like that must be really difficult', that's irrelevant, he's doing it to make a living and providing a good service will increase his chances of doing that.
We've got a local chemist, I ALWAYS use it, for one reason, it's two minutes walk from my, and a lot of other people's, house and I want to keep it as a useful local facility. This shop sounds good but B&Q have got a much wider range and offer free parking.
The local shops that survive will do so for a reason, such as quality of service, location, specialism, a loyal customer base etc but they no more DESERVE support than a well run B&Q or Morrisons with helpful staff.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the Political Assistants posts have gone. I believe it is one retirement and one redundancy. Good on Counc. Quinn. Hopefully he'll keep on cutting and get the whole place into some form of shape.

Sam Bates Jnr said...

The thirteenth stabbing death of a black youth this year in London yesterday has highlighted the black crime wave crisis which is sweeping London and other major cities in Britain.

West free zone said...

Nothing to do with Tameside Sam/Roy and of no interest to any of us.

Labour accused of pre-election cover up said...

Ministers accused John Denham, the former communities secretary, of trying "to bury the truth" about immigration to try to guarantee his party's survival in office.

The 80-page report, The Drivers of International Migration To and From the UK, written by the highly respected National Institute of Economic and Social Research, was presented to ministers six weeks before the start of the general election campaign.

It found that net immigration to the UK rose by 169,100 people a year between 1992-1995 and 2004-2007, with the vast majority of new entrants coming from Asian countries.

Just over half the increase (51.2 per cent) was accounted for by "UK immigration policy relative to other hosts" while 26.7 per cent arose from the "relaxation of UK immigration policy from 1997".

If published, the report's findings would have reignited the row over the so-called "open door" immigration policy pursued by Labour up until it began phasing in its replacement "points based" system in 2008.

Yet the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) decided not to publish the document.

Last night Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, described the report, which cost the then Government £40,000, as a "skeleton in the closet" and added: "Clearly there was an orchestrated cover up by John Denham to bury the truth about immigration.

"On the eve of the election Labour Ministers were doing anything to try and guarantee their political survival."

Union man said...

West free zone, it WILL have something to do with Tameside within a few years if something isn't done. Personally I'm extremely 'interested' and concerned about rising crime, particularly violence. A massively disproportionate amount of knife crime in particular is committed by young black men and the authorities should be acting on this knowledge instead of trying to pretend it doesn't exist. Racial and cultural matters/problems/differences are often raised on this particular blog, even if the poster did go off at a tangent. The local PC blog is run by Tameside's leading anti 'fascist' Councillor Taylor. Go there if you want conformist, PC pap.

Castles In The Air said...

It's an interest to us all, that see britain losing it's Identity,heritage,culture,way of life. It's a crisis, a creeping crawler heading to all Towns and Cities of Britain. The dye has been cast.........Hail all those voices that warned of the genocide to come!

Warren Cartwright QC said...

west free zone why would it not be an interest to you? Don't you care?

The majority of violent inner-city crime is committed by black men, police figures suggest.

Peter said...

The Tory “temporary immigration cap” to Britain has been exposed as yet another hoax with the Home Office confession that it excludes Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) programmes which in 2008 let 43,495 non-EU workers into Britain, nearly 20,000 more than the Conservative’s stated “cap” limit.

west the pest said...

Cmon West stop spamming this blog. There has been good dicussion here since you have been gone.

Anonymous said...

Above post one of the army of the morons obsessed with west. Get a life.

The Coaching Psychologist said...

yes anonymous i would agree, west the pest move away from your fixation with this character. You clearly have some desire to have contact with him be it hostile or friendly contact, it would seem to the Observer. Why bother at all with trying to make contact in this way? Seek help with your problem soon. Good Luck and don't delay get help.

Alf Garnett said...

i hope roy is ok i miss him on here

Pauline said...

Roy has been admitted to Rampton where he is undergoing treatment.

John Masefield said...

He's no pest, just having a rest. Lest you think I jest, desist, you haven't seen the best of West. He'll pass the test.
I'll keep you abreast.

Anonymous said...

I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery.

Follow the link here. said...

West is still active in Dukinfield. He made this for you all today.

Wallan Call said...

Britain’s Foreign Aid to India: £1.9 Billion. Cost of India’s New International Airport: £1.9 Billion.

India has just opened a state-of-the-art international airport in New Delhi which sprawls over 1.5 square miles, has 97 automated walkways, 88 aerobridges and which cost £1.9 billion – exactly the amount which British taxpayers have given that nation in “foreign aid” over the past ten years.

vin said...

Good video. That is deffo Dukinfield - put one through my door and i will skin you alive

Frank Castle said...

I'll make sure you get one.

Tommy Walsh said...

Mr Lilley is the proprietor if I am correct. he;s had the shop for over 25 years. A real credit to Stalybridge.

Tory, independent, BNP, UKIP now Labour said...

Yes Tameside Eye has closed down now that its owner has joined the Labour Party and surrendered any notion of political principles.

Bob from Audenshaw said...

Yes he is Tommy. I travelled from Audenshaw to buy a few bits and bobs since reading this article and he is credit to the community and his proffesion.

By the way, has Tameside Eye really joined the Labour Party?

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Alf Garnett said...

well dun roy and keep goin lad

Wallan Call said...

The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.

Stalybridge next no doubt said...

This is what Britain has become, all of the Labour rats wishes.

Keep him on a non-extendable lead said...

From poacher to gamekeeper, Tameside Eye has gone. Long live Tameside Eye. Now everybody in the borough can sleep in their beds at night, safe in the knowledge that the Labour chiefs and Tameside Eye are now in a cosy bed of their own.

Anonymous said...

some people are just desperate to be recognised and respected and be heard. unfortunately none of the others did any of these things. think it will be joining colonel gadaffi nextweek now that saddam is no more

Time to grow up said...

You have to earn respect and learn to respect others.

These qualities are not learnt through the ability to air misinformed comment and irresponsible gossip in public at every given opportunity.

Bell said...

So is TE now a Labour Party member?

Rotten Borough said...

Tameside Labour deserve respect for the scrupulously fair way they conduct election campaigns and 'gather' votes. Remember, this isn't Barking, yet, and they can't rely on the bought and paid for ethnic vote (Passports: Three for a quid) as much, so they have to find other ways.
'Yes Ethel love, I know you can't remember your name but don't worry I'll fill it in for you.'

Anonymous said...

You can't beat independent local hardware stores like this one. I can think of a good few items that I couldn't buy at B&Q that I could easily find at this place.

Nigel B said...

Yes, it is a great shop.