PHIL MAXWELL

Sam outside his shop in Cheshire street, early 1980s

My nieghbour Sam lived in the flat opposite me in the early 1980s. He was a Jewish refugee from Eastern Europe. On Sundays he would open his second hand clothes shop in Cheshire street.

Sam’s friend at the entrance to his shop, early 1980s

He was assisted by his friend who we see here at the entrance of the shop. The interior of the shop was dark and damp. If you wanted to buy something it was best to just browse the clothes that hung outside the shop. Coat hangers hung from screws in the wall facilitated a display of coats, trousers and jackets. In the 1980s most of the buildings in Cheshire street were derelict and empty.

New clothes for sale, Brick Lane 2009

Second hand clothes can still be bought in Cheshire street but they are expensive and hang on rails in ‘retro’ shops. Today you can still see clothes adorning brick work on Sundays in and around Brick Lane. The clothes for sale here are new  and probably counterfeit.

Bishopsgate Goods Yard 1999

Bishopsgate Goods Yard 1999

Cheshire Street c.1984