Palfrey & Kemp To Eject Its Customers One Final Time
May 21, 2012 by J Wade
Palfrey & Kemp on St. Thomas Street in Lymington has developed a reputation for itself. But not a reputation that many shopkeepers would be proud of. Palfrey & Kemp has been declared the rudest shop in England. This is an accolade that the owners, Terry Palfrey and Geoff Kemp, have been proud of for many years. Palfrey & Kemp is also one of the oldest shops in the region - it has been trading for 170 years.
"Britain's Rudest Shop is Closing Down”
A sign placed in the shop window simply states that "Britain's Rudest Shop is Closing Down”. This is a sad day for Lymington, as the shop has become somewhat of a tourist attraction in recent years, thanks to the terrible duo’s unorthodox style of customer relations.
In some ways Terry Palfrey and Geoff Kemp are similar to Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show. They are outspoken and not afraid to upset people. Terry Palfrey explains their approach:
“Unfortunately there are a lot of people these days who don't have any manners. If it gets too bad, I'll tell them to get out - I just will not stand for it."
Mr Palfrey, 63, told the Southern Daily Echo: "I have chucked people out of the shop on several occasions".
One of the things that Terry finds most annoying is customers who rummage around and make a mess of the neatly designed displays, and nothing annoys him more than people leaving grotty finger prints all over the polished cutlery.
It is easy to make fun of this small, quirky shop at 47-48 St. Thomas Street in Lymington, but the sad reality is that this is yet another independent shop that is closing its doors for one last time. There will never be another Palfrey & Kemp in Lymington, or anywhere in the UK for that matter. Their unique style would never be allowed in chain stores. The friendly banter with customers would be considered as abuse or harassment in this modern, politically correct and big brand world. You can still shop in Palfrey & Kemp for another week before the building is converted into a Weatherspoon’s pub.
Image Source: Google Maps.