SHOP SHOP SHOP!

"Welcome to the new shopping experience" trumpeted the spokesmen for the gigantic new Shepard's bush shopping center today, the indoor mega mart gave out free champagne and opening day discounts while the general public gave the attending media the kind of publicity the mall owners could only hope for, "beautiful" crowed one "wonderful" marvelled another, dazzled by all the shiny new objects in the shop windows, attending 'supermodel', 97 escalators and a bumbling speech by mayor Boris, this place has it all supposedly.

But, poor old Portobello market, this new mega mall is sure to have a detrimental effect on on not only the fruit 'n' veg and antique stalls but all traders on the market, and i cant imagine the shops, cafes and bars that line either side of Portobello road will fare any better from the expected loss of customers who will, if this mall draws in the numbers it hopes for, desert their former shopping haunts and head to Shepard's bush for that all inclusive indoor shopping experience.

The only shops that i can see carrying on trading without any significant losses are the specialist record shops that cater for the vinyl record buffs, at the moment there are four of these popular record shops catering for everything from Jazz to Punk rock, 'world music' and even Brigit Bardot LP'S (if that is what takes your fancy), between them they can account for many of portobello's visitors, but sadly i cant see these shops custom being enough to keep the area alive.

Many local traders from the surrounding shops in the wider Notting hill area fear they are also going to be badly affected. High street Kensington shop owners are not looking forward to the opening of the mega mall either, and just what is passing through the worried minds of the shop owners and traders in the Shepard's bush and Hammersmith areas i cant imagine, but I'm sure that the flicker of flame against concrete has briefly drifted into one or two frustrated thoughts during moments of stress and worry about the future, and set against a backdrop of forecasted mid to long term economic depression the future doesn't look good.

P.S, no one wearing a hooded top will be allowed entry.