A Few Things We Found Down the Back of the Thomas Street Sofa

There’s nothing quite like a rummage through the archives. Particularly when the archives consist of a shoebox full of old Polaroids and a slightly questionable memory.

We’ve been digging through some old photographs from our Thomas Street days, and blimey, there’s a fair bit to look at. The shop, the people, the clothes, the characters. Familiar faces behind the counter, familiar faces on the other side of it, mates popping in for a chat and customers who'd somehow end up staying half the afternoon. It was a bit of a revolving door, really. A very well-dressed revolving door, mind.

Thomas Street was more than just a shop. It was a meeting place, a bit of a social club, a home from home for anyone with a soft spot for good clothes and a good natter. There were outfits to be admired, opinions to be exchanged and probably the odd cup of tea going cold somewhere. And then there were the Polaroids. No filters, no carefully curated grids, no ten attempts to get the right angle. Just point, click, wait a minute and hope nobody had their eyes shut. A little slice of life, captured in that lovely, slightly washed-out way that only a Polaroid can manage.

Looking back, it's the people that make us smile the most. The staff, the customers, the friends, the familiar faces who became part of the furniture. Some things change, some things stay the same, and some hairstyles are probably best left in the past.

Anyway, here's a little collection of memories from a very special chapter in the Oi Polloi story.

Thomas Street, you were a good egg.