Gak Pro-Audio

Gak Pro-Audio, 76-82 North Road, Brighton, East Sussex, 2010 • Graffiti shutters by (or emulating) Eine for muso store GAK – which, if I’m not mistaken, is slang for cocaine. […]

D.R. Butt Master Butcher

D.R. Butt Master Butcher, 28 North Street, Bristol BS3, 2017 • Dr Butt, lol – sounds like a Bart Simpson prank call. I caught this just before it closed in […]

Stan Butt Ltd

Stan Butt Ltd, 137 East Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3, 2017 • So good they named it twice. According to this Flickr comment, meat wholesaler extraordinaire Stan Butt died a few […]

Hot Munchies

Hot Munchies, 30 Southwark Street, Borough of Southwark, London SE1, 2004, 2011, 2016 • Cheekily named arch cafe amidst sea of dirty viaduct tiles. Still there in 2018, as all […]

Eisenegger

Eisenegger, The Plaza, 120 Oxford Street, City of Westminster, London W1, 2002 • Outlet that was permanently “closing down”, and eventually did. With hindsight, the ISIS posters don’t read too […]

Roger of Finchley

Roger of Finchley, 5 Fortis Green, Finchley, Borough of Barnet, London N2, 2003 • Fnarr fnarr. By 2008 it was called The Retreat, which it still is.

Yank Pizza

Yank Pizza, 28 Neasden Lane, Neasden, Borough of Brent, London NW10, 2016 • Unfortunate name.

Booty Food & Wine

Booty Food & Wine, 272 Neasden Lane, Neasden, Borough of Brent, London NW10, 2016 • Great name – and it’s actually part of a chain.

Zoe’s Gobble & Go

Zoe’s Gobble & Go, Westgate Terrace, Folkestone, Kent, 2002 • Immobilised mobile snack bar with less-than-enticing name. I found it somewhere round here.

Jim’ll Mix It

Jim’ll Mix It, Unit 1, Lusty Industrial Estate, Empson Street, Bromley-by-Bow, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London E3, 2012 • Unfortunate Jimmy Savile-inspired name, not helped by being based on the Lusty […]

Quickie Heel Bar

Quickie Heel Bar, 198 Southwark Park Road, Borough of Southwark, London SE16, 2002 • Brilliant name, as featured in the book Formerly (right). No longer there, of course.

Thomas Fox & Co. Ltd., Arse Factory Removals

Thomas Fox & Co. Ltd., Arse Factory Removals, 42 Hoxton […]

R. Soles

R. Soles, 109a Kings Road, Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London SW3, 2003 • Punning purveyor of cowboy boots to the already well-heeled, founded in 1975. 

Brute Menswear

Brute Menswear, 73 Wentworth Street, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London E1, 2004 • Interesting choice of name, especially as the other side of the sign says Brute Menswar.

Dad’s Unisex Hair Salon

Dad’s Unisex Hair Salon, 96 Hoxton Street, Borough of Hackney, London N1, 2006 • Maybe dad’s inside. Note unfortunate wire placement over the word “unisex”. It’s now something else, with […]

New Experience

New Experience, 275 Eversholt Street, Borough of Camden, London NW1, 2003 • Probably quite an old experience. Now called Experience Massage (To Let), in what is still quite a run-down […]

Brown, Muff & Co. Ltd.

Brown, Muff & Co. Ltd., 4 Ivegate, Bradford, West Yorkshire, 2014 • Not a dubious “private shop” but the last remains of an oddly-named department store once known as the Harrods […]

Z. Butt Textiles 2001

Z. Butt Textiles 2001, 24 Brick Lane, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London E1, 2003 • Highly-regarded family business with swirly Davida logo and Simpsonesque name. Apparently in its 3rd generation, […]

Yuk Chuen

Yuk Chuen, 36 Clapham Road, Borough of Lambeth, London SW8, 2005 • With a name like ‘Yuk’, they needed to try a bit harder. Later morphed into Lontosa, a Chinese-Malaysian-Thai restaurant.

C Master, Cumsers (Cutmasters)

CMaster, Cumsers (Cutmasters), 202-204 Merton High Street, Borough of Merton, London SW19, 2010 • Bizarre signage which almost looks like a rude joke. They’ve now got a “proper” sign but the […]

Kanny Kard Kompany

Kanny Kard Kompany, Grainger Market, Grainger Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2005 • Canny Geordie name for a card shop, albeit with the unfortunate initials KKK, located within a fine covered market. […]

Euro Screws Limited, Colourbox

Euro Screws Limited, Colourbox, 16 Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, Borough of Barnet, London HA8, 2004 • Yet another top screw-based emporium, with classic acrylic sign – and it’s still there, complete with […]

Clerkenwell Screws

Clerkenwell Screws, 109 Clerkenwell Rd, Borough of Camden, London EC1, 2004 • Another esteemed purveyor of screws, unchanged to this day (including the scrubbed-out lettering).

Virgin, Republic (Walsall)

Virgin, Republic, 18-22 & 16-18 Park Street, Walsall, West Midlands, 2005 • Another grand Walsall building – it certainly outlasted Virgin.

White Horse Kebabs

White Horse Kebabs, 336 Bethnal Green Road, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London E2, 2005 • Not a name you’d choose nowadays, you’d think, after the horseburger scandal… but it’s still there, […]

Go Gay (Fulham Rd)

Go Gay, 819 Fulham Road, Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London SW6, 2001 • Yes, Go Gay dry cleaners was a chain. This one is now called Blue Sky Cleaning.

Go Gay (Wandsworth Bridge Rd)

Go Gay, 120 Wandsworth Bridge Road, Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London SW6, 2001 • Fantastical sign for fantastical name, which lasted until 2012, amazingly.

The Pot Company

The Pot Company, 16-20 Raymouth Road, Borough of Southwark, London SE16, 2001 • As in garden accessories, not drugs. Now obliterated: the arches were refurbished with anonymous blue units.