About this book

Strippers, grippers, knickers, knockers, nippers, nipples and ballcocks!

You can buy anything in the local hardware shop – well almost. It’s the legendary Aladdin’s cave with fixes for everything from a leaking pipe, a shattered groyne (yes, seriously), a wobbly bladder (should that be ladder?) to a broken heart. And some remedies are not so easy to find …

This semi-autobiographical and humorous work by Yorkshire writer Graham Higson looks back to the time when almost every self-respecting high street had a local hardware store, the one-stop shop with spare parts for your home.

Populated with a variety of eccentric and unconventional characters, he takes us back to his 1990s’ world of the small British town and its attempts to compete with high-priced multiple stores, treacherous banking practices and other rogues from the piranha pool.

There are multiple layers to this book and it reflects so many aspects of our changing society … An intriguing and fascinating book which you cannot fail to enjoy. Robert Fear, author

This is one man’s memoir – a treasure trove of anecdotes, some tinged with humour, others with disappointment, some are downright bizarre.

I very much enjoyed the conversational style and the strong down to earth Yorkshire voice … It gave the anecdotes such realism and humour. Rebecca Hislop

This is Graham’s guide to observing life from behind a shop counter, with intimate and amusing characterisations of the people, told with –

Humour so visual and the gags just keep a-coming … as cheeky as its title! … At the end of this book I was smiling from ear to ear. Frank Kusy, author

Now available to listen to on Audible

Now available on Audible

An intriguing and fascinating book which you cannot fail to enjoy. – Robert Fear, author

Features a stellar cast of characters – Frank Kusy, author

I'm hoping there is a follow up. There has to be. More please. – Caryl Williams, reader

Kept me entertained from start to finish – Juanita, reader

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