Three or four years ago, when this time of low or negative economic growth began, companies appeared in Abingdon buying gold. First they hired space at the Guildhall on Saturdays.

Then to our surprise one of them opened up a gold buying shop on the Market Place.

That shop has just closed – possibly a sign that better economic growth is about to return.

Gold prices have been falling in the last couple of months. Stock prices have been rising.

Two new shops have opened this week.

Pedro the Cobbler opened up a new shop on Stert Sreet. He mends shoes, and sells a few shoes, cuts keys, and engraves. (Beyond Bubbles, who used to be there will be selling more at craft fairs, local events, and online, but some of her products are still available from Pedro, I believe.)

Meanwhile on East St Helen Street, Belinda Chong opened a new studio selling artwork and jewellery.

The ‘qs’ shop on Abingdon’s High street has had a closing down sale for the last couple of weeks.

‘qs’ were a chain of discount clothing stores, that were taken over and rebranded as ‘Store Twenty One’ in 2007.

Since then at least 75% of the stores now carry the ‘Store Twenty One’ name but not the Abingdon store which is still ‘qs’.

This Independent newspaper report says that Store Twenty One has not paid rent on some of its loss making stores and as a result “encounter a high degree of hostility from landlords”.

Having been reminded of buying our first cooker, around 1986, at the Gas Showroom, here is a fuller list of shops in Bury Street Precinct from about that time. Four are unchanged, and remarkably they are all now neighbours, and are pictured below as they look today.

If you were granted a wish to bring back one shop from the list (or from any other time), which would it be?

1/2 Columbian Cafe and Restaurant
3 Pic a Card
4 Radio Rentals
5 Adams Childswear
7 Parslows of Reading (Bakers)
8 Savory and Moore (Chemist)
9 Currys Ltd (Electrical)
10 Sketchley (Cleaners)
11 Dewhurst (Butchers)
12 K Shoes
13 Wigfalls Television
14 Frend & Co Limited (Jewellers)
15 Qualifruit
16 Halfords (Cycles / Motor Accesories)
17 H L Textiles
18 British Gas (Southern)
19 John Lane Ltd
21 Mister Mint
22 F W Woolworth & Co Ltd
23 Gateway Foodstore Ltd
24 Times Furnishing Ltd
25 H Samuel (Jeweller)

26 Clays (Butchers & Greengrocery)
26a Dorothy Perkins (Female Clothes)

27/28 Boots (The Chemist)

29 The Gift Centre

30 Centre News
32 Foster Bros Clothing Co Ltd (Male)
33 Focus Shoes
34 Lemon Plaice
35 Oxonian Travel Service
36 Abbey National Building Society
37 Mr Candy
37 Swiss Chalet
37 Gerrards Ltd (Greengrocers)