GIFT SHOP CRAYON POP

LAST weekend I popped into Greenwich with some family; we saw the sights and felt the cold, which led us straight into the National Maritime Museum in order to get some respite. We saw the largest ship figureheads [probably] in the world, some stripy tops and THIS:

I KNOW?!

Those of you [girls] between the ages of 22 and 25 will most likely have loved and lost several of these in your lifetime. I remember going to the little post office in our village [Gnosall, first mentioned in the Doomsday book apparently] and being incredibly excited to leave with a bag of pick 'n mix and one of these crayon pencils. It is amazing how something so small can throw you into a pit of nostalgia in a second and, as a result [and to the surprise of everyone I was with] I actually went and bought something from this Maritime gift shop; yes, I purchased two of these, one for myself and one for my sister. Not only are they ridiculously chic, they are equally educational, with a seemingly unassuming physics-related quote sprawled over the front. Although I can't say that crayons figure in my day-to-day routine, I'm sure there'll be a moment when I am so glad I spent £1 on this. Until that day, I will merely sit and appreciate its beauty.

I also visited Cyprus. Quite a productive day.

Crayons aside, it is interesting to note that, according to Simon Neville of the Guardian, gift shops such as these generated profits of over £100m last year. Most of us I assume wouldn't understand how this could be possible when we turn our noses up at the sight of tourists buying tat with I <3 London engraved in Helvetica font over every available space. But city-dwellers are also being drawn into these grottos, as time and strategies have been put in place in order to make them more appealing and money-magnetising. The money generated from these shops is of utmost importance due to a dramatic cut in funding for the arts. It is therefore sad to that gift shops may now be the saving grace of most long-established museums and galleries, in turn funding day-to-day expenses and exhibitions such as the Lichtenstein of the Tate and the David Bowie of the V & A. I therefore feel that in buying my little crayon pencils I have, in some seemingly insignificant way, contributed to helping maintain these places of cultural and social significance.

I may or may not also own every Mr Benn episode on DVD.

In summary, support your local 'cultural place' by buying things that you genuinely like/want/need, as I clearly have done [don't judge me].

love

STANLEY

whatstanleysays@gmail.com