The Corner Shop

Britain is a nation of shopkeepers, and the story of corner shops is the story of us. From Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of shopkeepers, to immigration from Pakistan, Kenya and Eastern Europe over the last seventy years, their influence has shaped the way we shop, the way we eat, and the way we understand ourselves. Babita Sharma was raised in a corner shop in Reading, and over the counter watched a world in flux, from the clientele to the products to the politics of shopkeeping. Along with the skills to perfectly mop a floor and stack a shelf, she gained a unique insight into a changing world – and an institution that, despite the creep of supermarkets, online shopping and delivery, has found a way to evolve and survive.