Costa coffee opening at the old Homelook 460 Brixton Road, SW9

At £9K, no wonder it's been empty for so long !

There's a bit more on the old Sanders firm here: http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=8060

Apparently they were (fairly?) early adopters of penumatic tubes for handling internal mail and cash, possibly. (http://www.ids.u-net.com/cash/locations/eng-london.htm)

E2a an interview with Sidney Sanders, one of the old proprietors, here: http://bettikvah.org.uk/Hindsight-sidney sanders.html and a bit more about the company here http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/onlinelists/GB 0088 IV260(vA2627933).pdf

Yeah, the facade is ace, never went in there when it was last open - is the interior anything in particular?

How long has it been empty? 5 years? At 9k a month that's half a million over 5 years. Network Rail has let half a million pounds slip through its flabby fingers.

And that's not taking into account the economic and social cost of having an ugly empty building in the middle of town.

Looks decidedly closed in the photo from '84, despite the site saying it's open!

Pretty much opposite Starbucks? Good grief...

I was going to suggest it would make an ideal location for another coffee shop, then I read this:

Internet's going slow today. Posted before Editor said it's going to be Costa!

Sounds good. Having coffee whilst trains go rumbling overhead

Oh dear, how pointless and irritating

Unrelated but a big one has just opened in SW18 too.

I see what you did there.

Costa Coffee have just opened in N7 (taking over the gaff ) Are they on some expansion spree?

Wasn't even intentional

I reckon Editor will be a regular in there, sitting listening for steam trains

Well, it has to be an improvement on what's there now.

I wonder if it has tube trains going underneath as well, would be cool if you could hear trains above and below.

Webster's may get more business as well

If it means they clean up that lovely tiled facade, I don't mind.

I'd like to see the inside of the place.

Did you never go in when it was Homelook?

I can't remember the building ever being open.

Was handy for things like christmas decorations, tupperware and the like before Brixton got the 99p and £1 shops

I remember those naff waterfall pictures as well that made it look like the water was really falling. Think that was the first place I ever saw them

At least Costa tastes nice and is a decent strength, unlike Starbucks

Yeah, a lot of the stuff they had could be got at Woolworths (except for those tacky waterfall things!).

Struggling to remember what I ever bought in there besides maybe some Christmas decorations and tupperware. Probably looked in there for throws at one stage. Possibly bought some batteries or lighters, but otherwise, I'm struggling

Yeah, I think the important thing is prettifying that particular area under the bridge up as it is very tatty looking. Fine for side streets etc. but as it is now, it's just an eyesore

Buckets and bins. I seem to remember they always had loads of buckets and bins by the front door. Naff animal print throws also springs to mind but I may just be imagining that. Cheap, crap pillows and cushions that would probably go flat after a week as well, although I didn't buy any so can't be sure of that. I seem to remember it being on slightly different levels (ie. a slope up to the back bit) but I may be wrong about that as well