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HEAVEN

Now that the pain of lock-down has been slightly eased The Contessa Di La Proctero has decided that we are both in need of a bit retail therapy and I’am not talking about any of that internet crap. No, we are entering the hallowed ground of Newcastle’s most famous retailer Fenwick’s, if you are a Geordie and have few quid in your pocket there really is no place like this iconic store.

It’s true, that The Frozen Northerner is no fan of department stores, much preferring smaller independent traders, but Fenwick’s Newcastle store is the exception to the rule. Why do I love this store so much, well, it’s probably the only thing the Geordie public has left to identify with, other great Newcastle institutions have sadly disappeared over the years, leaving Fenwick’s to stand alone, a retail oasis, within a once great city, that is now only a shadow of it’s former self.

I don’t care what you buy, clothes, food, furniture, anything, as long you support this great shop because if it were to go ( how it has survived the pandemic without an adequate website beggars belief) then Newcastle would be finished.

The reopening of Fenwick’s is more important to me than any pub or restaurant opening, just wandering around the place makes me feel good. I may shop in some flash places but in Fenwick’s I have a sense of belonging, it’s Geordie thing, that only a native of the area really understands.

Hopefully things are going to get better and the news that Fenwick’s are creating a rooftop cafe/restaurant fill’s me with optimist, so slip on your best pair of Crockett and Jones loafers and head to Fenwick’s, it will make you feel alive.