Arthur Beale - Covent Garden WC2

In this age of either relentless chain shops or the slightly more preferable (but equally damaging to traditional businesses) "snazzification" of our inner city, it is unusual to find shops like Arthur Beale in key central London locations.  Like J P Guivier in Mortimer St, Arthur Beale on Shaftesbury Avenue is an old school shop, remaining wonderfully resistant to the vagaries of fashion and the changing retail nature of its surrounds.  Arthur Beale is a ship chandlers - selling rope, fittings and other nautical supplies - to be honest unless you are a serious boatsperson (see how PC I am?) there is not much point going inside, but like me you can be glad that a great shop like this is there, doing what it does and hasn't yet turned into a Starbucks.