Mother and daughter team Faye Niven and Alex Witney at the shop

• ON Thursday September 2 a queue of some 20 people gathered outside the sale at 339 Kentish Town Road to say goodbye to a remarkable shop.

Sadly this was after more than 30 years of very special service to anyone who would appreciate (in the shop’s own words) “a 2,000 square foot treasure trove of all things beads, buttons, fabric, crystals, pearls, ribbon, threads, trimmings…”.

Oh, and they forgot to mention a huge range of wools in authentic colours to suit the repair of antique textiles.

So many other shops have had to close, which were “duplicates” of others near to them, coffee bars, fruiterers and others, each one’s going a heartbreak to those who ran them and to their regular customers.

But the London Bead Company was unique, (Covid strain sees London Bead Company shut up shop, September 2). Thank you to them. And here’s wishing the family well.

MALLORY WOBER, NW3