Tell me about it. My brother and I were there one Sunday morning, probably early 1970's. There was a bottle green, leather bomber jacket that caught my brother's eye. "Can I try it on?" Asked my brother, "Raymond, serve the gentleman," the Jewish stall holder said to his son. He then said to my brother: "It looks the business on you, Sir." "Matches your eyes." (Brother has blue eyes.) My smiling brother enquired of the price: The stallholder said: "To you, just today, a special price of just £20." "Did you say eighteen?" My brother replied, with a cheeky grin. "Would I argue with a gentleman?" came the reply.
My brother and I went of to Blooms for one of their famous salt beef on rye bread sandwiches. We reminisced his purchase, where else could you get such an enjoyable piece of theatre when making a purchase? You are right about the rubbish sold there now being a crime. That stall holder was selling genuine, decent clothing, my brother's jacket lasted him for years, it's what we expected back then. Twenty pounds was close on a week's wages.