These shops do crop up in unlikely places - as well as some likely ones.  I relied at one time on a shop in the next town along, a tad more Young Farmer/Young Conservative than the one I live in, which has become a bit Rainbow Nation over the past ten years or so.  The chap who ran it had a nice window display: lots of check shirts and Harris tweed bits and pieces - and cords by Merit, which I liked (100 per cent cotton) but wore the arse out of a couple of years ago.  He sold Alan Paine sweaters at £75 a time.  It all had a nice, old-fashioned feel to it - and duly closed down during the pandemic.  By now I expect it's turned into a Turkish barbers' (proliferating like stink around here), a vape shop, tattoo parlour or something equally useful.  Shop across the street is stacked with Barbour.  No excitement there although the female staff are rather easy on the eye.

I wish I could remember the name of the old-established shoppe in Brigg, where my elder daughter once dwelt with her idiot of a first husband.  Tiny, cramped, it seemed like the last bastion of polyester Farah slacks in the back room.  I made the mistake of buying some bottle green cords from there.  The zip went within months.  I seem to recall them offering Grenfell - but this is quite a few years ago.  They'd been in business since about the time Kit Marlowe was filling his pipe and buggering small shepherd boys.
The East Riding is exceptionally nice.

‘The East Riding is exceptionally nice.’

Agreed. I did not really know it. Sparsely populated and not too badly affected by change. Employment opportunities may be limited though. Some ‘ladies who lunch’ types got on the train at Brough on the way home. They were heading to the Courtauld Gallery for an exhibition.

There’s a once online only store that have recently opened up a ‘proper’ retail unit in Lewes, Sussex.

Darcy Clothing. Clearly specialists in the sort of gear you would expect to see Mr Darcey strolling around in. A lot of Victorian style shirts, boots and trousers. Like a Gentleman’s Old Town. 40’s stuff too. Spearpoint and grandad collar shirts, Fair Isle sleeveless jumpers. Similar to a lot of the vintage style civvy clothes Aero Leather do a trade in.

They do have some interesting looking cotton herringbone jackets that look as though they could tick some Ivy boxes. And Shetland sweaters.

The catch though is they look almost too cheap (even for me!). Those jackets are £89. Shetlands £75 (+VAT).

I wonder if they’re aiming at the TV extra or or Am dram market but if I’m ever over that way I’d drop in for a look.

Didn't a poster on here approach Old Town re producing some Keydge style jackets? They weren't interested and I see that what they do offer hasn't changed in 10 years. I bought a silk tie from them and I've always been interested in the Canvey Cap but everything else they produce is as Kingstonian says. It must work for them but I don't see how.

Spendthrift,

Lewes used to have a proper old bloke’s menswear shop called Hugh Rae. It was as an enjoyable a sight as the Clifton-Taylor buildings. It’s gone now but the signage still remains with a different shop in the premises.

https://oakleyproperty.com/about-oakley/blog/2017/07/27/nearly-700-years-old-and-94-years-off-the-market

Kingston1an - That link was really interesting. Thanks.

I’ve never heard the term ‘slop shop’ for working clothes seller

Thanks Woof - I used to visit Brighton a lot in my mod days. And a bit later on when the Uni put on good Brit Pop and Acid Jazz themed mini festivals. I stopped going when it started to feel a little bit hippie student for my tastes. I go back from time to time with the boy - but that’s for the beach and Sea Life Centre. Hopefully he and The missus have no clue what I got up to there when I was younger!

Lewes is sounding interesting now though. I like a good brewery but have got spoilt by having our own Hogs Back brewery and their marvellous TEA just down the road

RG - Is that the one by the train crossing? I’ve been past it often but never stopped to go in. Is it worth checking out?

I reckon the internet is mostly responsible for this. Amazon is percieved to be the easiest way to buy anything. People like easy.

Amazon itself works ridiculously poorly, as you would expect a robot to. Click once on a red sweatshirt and it presumes you're forever looking for the same item, and pushes a hundred variations of it in your face for years every time you look at it. Search for something simple like Levi 501 and the first twenty items offered are sponsored other brands.

Also supermarkets becoming huge one-stop stores where you can pick up your food, gardening supplies, kettle, Easter eggs, shower gel, and pants, jeans and a hoody in one visit.

And sports superstores who are catering to people, mainly male I think, who don't appreciate clothes and don't like shopping or paying for them, people who for whatever reason see no need to wear anything other than simple sportswear. Of course there's those for who the hoody is the uniform you wear when sulking around in children's playgrounds and town centres.

I've never been on Ebay, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's grown away from the original intention of selling your unwanted items to people who do want them for a good price?

The further society gets into this, the further away from reality it will seem to walk into a men's clothes shop and ask for a pair of navy cotton socks or a grey crew neck wool jumper.

@Spendthrift, I haven't been into Mewes for a long time. They always had a fine selection of Lacoste when I used to browse or go in and which I would usually buy.

They seem to cater for the rich middle class gent that lived in the area. A lot Scottish golf sweaters, Farah slacks Daks sports jackets etc.

I would imagine nothing much has changed in 40+ years as they haven't a website.

Thanks RG. I’ll stop in when I’m next over that way.

Yes. I imagine golf wear does very well in that area.