Buy, buy, says the sign in the shop window; Why, why, says the junk in the yard.
Paul McCartney, Junk
In the US they are store fronts and in the UK we call them shop fronts, but whatever you call them they can be attractive / bizarre / interesting / or most often, just dull. We barely notice the dull ones that we see every day, so when we come across one that isn’t it is bound to stand out. No wonder many of us stop to take a photo!
Whether it’s of the goods on display, the style of the building or perhaps the interest created by reflections in the glass, a shop front has loads of potential for an appealing image. And it reflects (pun intended!) the character of the town or city where it is located and of local culture. For anyone who travels, that is adds a particular appeal. Plus, as a keen street photographer, I’m often taken by an interesting juxtaposition of shop display and passers-by.
Dan has very kindly stepped up to take over Cee’s Fun Foto challenge, a reminder to me that it’s a while since I participated in that fun! And what better time to start than with this theme of store fronts? Many you will have seen before but I thought it would be a good exercise to bring them all together to explore the similarities and contrasts from place to place.
My feature photo was taken a couple of weeks ago in London’s Fitzrovia and was an obvious choice for this, my final post before Christmas. Happy Holidays to all who are celebrating! And my warmest of wishes to those who are perhaps struggling with difficult memories of happier past Christmases.
In the Blancs Manteaux area of Paris
Toy shop in the Marais, Paris
In the Marais, Paris; I doubt that young lad ever shops in Comptoir des Cotonniers!
Fresh vegetables in the Rue de Seine, Paris
A typical shop front adornment in Camden, London
In Soho, London
In Sofia, Bulgaria; I’m often amused by the English shop names used in non-English speaking countries!
Also in Sofia, another great shop name!
In Tallinn, Estonia; I was struck by the contrast between the flimsy lace lingerie and the woollen mittens sold by the old lady, as well as between the mannequin and the lady herself!
A souvenir shop in Tallinn
A department store in Leipzig, Germany
In Salalah, Oman: a whole street of shops selling the same thing, auto parts!
Another one from Salalah
In Serrekunda, Gambia
Also in Serrekunda, another example of a great shop name!
In Haight Ashbury, San Francisco
The Chimayo Trading Post, New Mexico; the subject of my first ever blog post here!
In Ocracoke, North Carolina (scanned from an old slide)
5 Comments
Easymalc
Really enjoyed this one Sarah!
the eternal traveller
That yarn shop would definitely get me in and, although I would never buy any, the motorcycle boot is a beauty.
Dan Antion
Wonderful shops and quite the world tour. Thanks for supporting the challenge.
margaret21
All so different, with such varied characters. But some gave few clues as to where they were situated. That Omani shope could have been in Lewisham, the one in Leipzig absolutely anywhere. So it was good to se the ones that really had a great sense of place. That boulangerie wins, I reckon!
bushboy
What a gallery of shops and great names 😀