In last week’s ‘Secret’s of Surrey Street’ the amazing and inspirational ‘king of the jerk chicken,’ George shared how the Surrey Street traders and customers have become like family, especially during his fight back from strokes and brain surgery.

This got me thinking about what I love the most about Surrey Street.

Along side working as a writer, I run a business as an independent Avon representative and sales leader.

I have a stall on Surrey Street each Friday and it has become the hub of my little business. It’s the place where I talk to people about Avon, take orders, recruit and train people to become reps and, more often than not, simply chat to people who won’t be buying but just want to talk about memories of a favourite Avon product they used to have or about their mum doing Avon when they were a child.

Many of these people come back week after week. As much as they enjoy reliving their memories and sharing the latest product samples, I enjoy their company, especially on a quiet market day. They come rain or shine we get to know each other better each time.

Then there are my wonderful regular customers who come each week to buy their favourite products, body sprays and oils I always have ready for them. These people are central to my Surrey Street family and are the reason I’ll be there on the wettest, coldest days when there will be few other customers and I may not meet my costs of being there for the day.

Other people may only come to the stall once. We’ll share a fleeting moment in our lives together but they will stay in my memory and, as a writer, my imagination, forever.

These are people like ‘Doris’ (a name I’ve given her we never got as far as sharing names), a wonderful lady in her late 80s whose attention was grabbed by a colourful row of nail varnishes at the front of the stall. Doris came over and asked if they were lipsticks.

When I explained what they were she told me she had never worn nail varnish and went on to show me beautifully manicured nails that she was very proud of. She told me her husband had passed away and she was now alone so maybe it was time to make a change and wear some.

I showed her how to use them and suggested she chose a gentle pink. “Oh no!” she said and went on to choose the brightest, most garish red I had!. Then there was an old man who came to me with an empty bottle of perfume in his shirt pocket and asked if I had it. It wasn’t a brand I recognised but it did smell very like one I had. I showed him and he bought it.

I often wonder who that perfume was for and why that man was so keen to find it again. I also wonder how Doris got on with her nails and if her new bright hands bought anything new to her life.

I’m sure these moments will be revisited in one of my fictional stories soon.

As a writer, Surrey Street is one of the best places to be. It is full of characters among those well loved members of the family and those who come and visit us.

 

TODAY'S TOP CROYDON STORIES