Always nice to have a chat with people who take the time to read these pieces that I enjoy sharing each week!

The most recent was as I was walking from the Howe, Cregneash and over down towards Port Erin when a man sat in his car enjoying the natural beauty and tranquility lowered his side window and called me over.

He said he enjoyed the articles but felt the original Chinese restaurant wasn’t the Mayflower as I had been advised but was either the Pearl of Hong Kong or China Garden!

Happy to be corrected and thanks for your kind wordsâ?¦

The conversation got me thinking again about shops, cafes and restaurants long gone.

Many of us will have happy memories of them.

My dad and his family operated a family grocers at 30 North Quay which had been established by his father.

RW Cretney and Sons served the fishing boats, Steam Packet vessels and the busy hotel trade.

As a young boy he would take me down the shop to look around.

I remember the loose biscuits in tins with glass fronts, the smell of coffee and smoked bacon and how they would weigh out sugar and cut cheese and butter from large blocks.

It was all paper bags or grease proof paper, no plastic then!

The business model was based on offering credit to the hoteliers when they needed provisions but had no funds at the start of the season and they repaid at the end of the season.

Lots of older Manxies remembered the stock fish hanging opposite the shop which were a staple for many.

He also had arrangements with farmers who would supply eggs and so on in exchange for products they required. It’s always a clever decision when to call it a day in business and my dad did just that in 1964 just before the first supermarkets were established on our island.

A similar situation applied to a number of bakers, butchers and family grocers, long since disappeared.

Who remembers Quirk’s, Elder’s, Craine’s and other suppliers of lovely baked goods?

Batesons was principally a butcher’s shop half way along Strand Street which also supplied the finest hot meat pies.

Kissack’s, Herbert Barron’s and other independent grocers offered a personal service but trade became more difficult.

I worked in the latter as a schoolboy making deliveries and it had the distinct freshly ground coffee aroma whenever you went in the shop.

A number of the traditional shops offered deliveries and often worked longer hours.

Home and Colonial and Maypole were among the first UK supermarkets to be established. It’s interesting that in the 2020s we once again see a number of businesses offering deliveries, eliminating plastic use, have in house bakeries and are open longer for customers.

The late Donald Lowey established the first multi product discount store in Derby Square called Savewell and I remember Shoprite being established on the holiday camp side of Victoria Road.

It was a no-frills pile them high and sell them cheaper operation.

Cases and cases of canned and other goods were displayed and sold in a warehouse type environment and it was very popular.

Another popular discount store was based in the old Royalty Cinema.

Who remembers the slot car track there?

I spent lots of time in there with what seemed like a massive oversized Scalextric track.

Ramsey has proved that local independent retailers can supply what customers want and the rents are more manageable these days.

One of the iconic buildings with a long established business is Felton’s.

In the past Douglas also had long established businesses with a very similar offering. Todhunter and Elliot’s and Gelling’s foundry provided all you needed from fork handles, hoses, plugs, saw tips, washers, pumps.

Remember the Two Ronnies sketch!

Nearby was the original Boots, which supplied everything you needed from pet products to cosmetics and my favourite upstairs was the record section where you could listen to the latest 45s before you bought them. Nearby was Kelly’s records and who remembers the late Jim Mitchell music shops selling the top 20 and getting in each week to get the latest hits?

Much missed from high streets everywhere is Woolworth’s.

Pick and Mix, toys, household and garden goods, greeting cards and the latest records at bargain prices!

Strand Street, in the summer in particular, was very busy in those days.

Everything from bazaars to bling with characters such as Benny Fingerhut and Maxie Glanz.

I remember queuing up along a little side lane witnessing the very sweet aroma and watching the experts making big hot lengths of Isle of Man rock into various sizes of unique square rock with three legs through every bar at Gore’s.

Then we would wander back up Strand Street or over to Castle Street to Felice’s for a hot chocolate, milk shake or a lovely ice cream or as a special treat a knickerbocker glory or similar. I’m reminded that Smokey Joe’s in Port St Mary offered similar delicacies!

When we first started riding motorcycles we would always go south on a Saturday night to Tony Brown’s 370 or was it 730 disco?

We would call past a number of now disappeared venues on the way.

Marine Drive to the Port Soderick, on to the Lancashire Hotel, the Duck’s Nest or on to the Carrick Bay first.

Other times when the disco wasn’t on we would just go to Castletown to catch up with friends, usually of the female variety, at Candyland, a little coffee bar in Malew Street near the square.

There was a good jukebox with tunes like Hot Love, What Are You Doing Sunday and Candida for example. Happy times.

For dedicated followers of fashion there were good choices available with the latest crushed velvet, bell bottom, denim, Afghan or tie dyed gear to be seen in!

Jimmy Berry’s Paraphernalia, Ray Terret’s Ugli Bug boutique, Mic Mac, Shocks and others. It’s funny looking back as my personal look wasn’t from a fashion shop but home made.

I would sew my old wranglers together full of patches, grandad shirt open with no collar and black tie, glasses with no glass in them, no wonder some people close to me felt I got a bit ’boring’ when I became an MHK, sometime later.

When we were kids we would go to the pictures on a Saturday for the matinee or we would go swimming in Noble’s Baths in Victoria Street.

Our treat afterwards would be to go to the herb beer shop in Walpole Avenue for a sarsaparilla and a chew on a liquorice stick!

Once again I’m going to have to come back to the subject of old shops, cafes, restaurants in the future so please feel free to email me your memories which I can use in a future piece here. [email protected] or post to 12 Manor Drive, Douglas. Thanks!

So we will finish today on a few of the many fish and chip shops long gone.

Who remembers taking a bowl down to Hope Street? Or fish and chips actually wrapped in last week’s Isle of Man Examiner? The Rio del grill open very late in Tynwald Street or Felice’s chippy? Get in touch!

David’s latest column is in this week’s Isle of Man Examiner, which is on sale now.