our new seaside rock shopfront July 2020!
and Scarlett Ricard's artwork
Paul places old shop sign on top shelf
and inside the shop 2022 (by Matt Rowe)
and P (looking anxious!) by Martin Parr sometime mid 2000s.
This is Rennies Seaside Modern in 2016
This was our first shopfront (from 2005) - paint colour 'arsenic', now a shade of 'pigeon'.
Our iron sign bracket was made by Ovendens, local blacksmiths at the harbour and the double
vitreous enamel sign was designed by Lynn Trickett and delivered from Burnham Signs
in the back of an estate car by the owner of the firm!
Our handpainted fascia was painted by local artist and designer, Scarlett Ricard, up a ladder.
She used traditional methods and paints, as used by Carter's Steam Fair.
previous history...
this is what made us want to be here, a hidden 'ghostsign' on what was formerly an outside wall.
this refers to a previous establishment called English's Fancy Bazaar, which was further up the street.
As with archaeological finds, unable to consolidate the wall, we have covered this in plain plaster,
which means it is preserved.
In 2014 Mike Meyer painted a backdrop for a photo shoot for an Interiors magazine, Warehouse Home,
inspired by the 'ghostsign' on our wall.
pre-c.1891 this was an external wall, then incorporated into our house.
Other incarnations, are 1930's Stricklands the Baker, who was here until the 1940s.
(There is still a Stricklands up the Dover Road in Folkestone
)
We discovered a couple of old paper bags
as well as various scribblings on the wall relating to orders ( a reminder
of our discovery of the scribblings in the basement of French's Dairy 13 Rugby Street London WC1).
Around 1902 it was a Ham, Beef & Oyster business belonging to butcher Albert Kemp
The most colourful incumbant of no.47, c.1910 - 1920s was George Karmy who ran the Armenian Bazaar,
selling beads and 'fancy goods'. From the 1920's to the 1930's Mr Fettwell is recorded as running a stationers at no.47.
This elegantly scripted fascia remains underneath our own. Brian Graves ran a photographic studio in the 1980s
Just prior to our residency, there must have been a clandestine kinky clothing
workshop in the basement, as we soon received a letter addressed to:
'Karen Rennie, Clothed in Leather...'
The Old High Street, was termed a 'casbah' by Sir Hugh Casson, who was local
to the area in the 1960s.
Soon after we moved here, c.1990? we commissioned Rowland Rock shop to make some
Rennies traditional pink minty seaside rock, with the motto 'made in folkestone'
running throughout the sugary stick in that magical way.
The labels were miniature versions of the Shell lorry bills. These we gave away.
and these are the tins that seaside rock was stored in
Inside the shop, we found the perfect spot for a neon anchor, made in East London to
K's spec. We always wanted a neon sign.
and this is our street...December 2020
MEANWHILE....
a recent email enquiry has prompted us to try and locate our 'mail order' catalogues,
from when we started in 1991! ( beautifully designed by Trickett & Webb)
This was pre-internet selling.
No. 1 was ALPHABET SOUP
- wrapped in Curwen Press pattern papers
No.2 was OFF THE WALL - opening up as a folded poster
No. 3 was all about BOOKS - bound in recycled paper boards
No.4 was Wearable Art - VINTAGE SCARVES - containing our own designed silk scarf by Jeff Fisher
our French blue jug identity was T&W response to our French's Dairy location in Bloomsbury.
We have saved the enamel shop sign , also made by Burnham signs in vitreous enamel.
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