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I too spent many hours at the Mushroom bookshop. At the time I was "in to" Chariots of the Gods and such. I also had a copy of Supernature by Lyall Watson. I also used to visit the vegetarian store just around the corner, Ourobouros, I think it was.

The Mushroom bookshop is now the Oriental Mart Chinese supermarket,

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Hi there, I stumbled across this thread, and as I worked at Mushroom Bookshop for a few years in the mid-90's, can add a little bit to it: Mushroom Bookshop started on Arkwright Street in 1972, set

It was, yes. I remember "Orris Boris Brothers" as being on Mansfield road though. Mushroom originated in Arkwright street but moved due to demolition.

Welcome SFB

The Mushroom bookshop is now the Oriental Mart Chinese supermarket,

Somehow that seems to be totally appropriate!

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It was, yes. I remember "Orris Boris Brothers" as being on Mansfield road though. Mushroom originated in Arkwright street but moved due to demolition.

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I too spent many hours at the Mushroom bookshop. \snip\

Did you spend much time in the free tea/coffee room at the back of the Arkwright street shop? It was such a pity that so many used the facility but so few actually contributed to the supplies.

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Did you spend much time in the free tea/coffee room at the back of the Arkwright street shop? It was such a pity that so many used the facility but so few actually contributed to the supplies.

I didn't know that there had previously been a shop on Arkwright street.

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  • 7 months later...

Hi there,

I stumbled across this thread, and as I worked at Mushroom Bookshop for a few years in the mid-90's, can add a little bit to it:

Mushroom Bookshop started on Arkwright Street in 1972, set up by the late Keith Leonard and his then partner Chris Cook. Not entirely sure of the order of things, but at some point it moved to Heathcote Street, taking over the site of the Drury Hill Bookshop (which I presume had been on Drury Hill before that whole area was demolished to make way for the Broadmarsh Centre - anybody know?). By the time I first knew it (1990), it took up numbers 10-12 Heathcote Street.

The wholefood shop around the corner on Goosegate was Hiziki (a workers' co-op / collective), which had a vegan cafe above called Rita's. Rita's became Out to Munch, and later, Cafe Hiziki. All three were legendarily good! During Out to Munch's time, they also took over the restaurant on Heathcote Street which used to be Jack Spratt's (have I got this right?) and it became a wonderful veggie / vegan restaurant called Salamander also run on co-op principles as were the cafes. Salamander became Squeek, and is now Aubergine Cuisine - still veggie and well worth checking out!

At some point (in the '70s or '80s), Mushroom Bookshop became a workers' co-operative. The size and make-up of the co-operative changed over the years, but it was run on a co-op basis until it shut in 2000. In around '96 or '97, rising rents and fragile finances became a catalyst to reduce the size of the shop. Mushroom retained number 10 (now the Jam Cafe), and number 12 was sub-let, first to Amnesty International, and subsequently to Paramount Picture Framers who are still there now. Do support Paramount - they're highly skilled and very good people.

Lots of radical and / or independent bookshops closed through the '90s and beyond, but maybe the tide is turning back in their favour. Long time Mushroom Workers' Collective member Ross Bradshaw opened Five Leaves Bookshop just before Christmas, and seems to be doing well. Go and take a look! http://fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk/ 14a Long Row ("We are in an alleyway opposite the Tourist Information Centre, one minute from the Market square, just before "The Works" and "Primark""). In 1995, Ross left Mushroom taking over it's publishing arm, Mushroom Publications, and then began his own - Five Leaves Publishing.

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I thought it was on George Street just a bit further along from the George Hotel on the same side. I can recall going in there as being a veggie in the the 70's put you straight in the weirdo class, they used to have a few veggie cookbooks on variations on a lentil burger :sleeping: can anyone remember Stewarts garden shop just opposite the George hotel, they closed a few years ago I believe.

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It was in about 1978 Mushroom became a workers collective, my first wife was working there at the time, she started working in the old Arkwright street shop and left Mushroom in 1987, because she said the ideologies of the shop were getting too one sided.

We got to know Keith Leonard very well, he gave my wife away at our wedding, because she had no close family, we were also at Keith's funeral, and went to a pub after with some others who worked in Mushroom to talk over old times, you may have been there.....

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SabyBaby, I used to buy most of my gardening stuff from Stewarts,(was it called Stewart and Brawls?) I remember the wooden floors and the wooden racks along the back of the shop that contained seeds and bulbs, the staff all wore brown shopkeepers coats and knew their stuff, they could advise you about growing anything,you told them what type of soils you had in your garden and they would advise what type of plants would do well, didn't know it had closed though, more of Nottingham's history gone,

Thanks for the memory jog.

Rog

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Yep, I remember Stewart's, that was one of my lunch-hour haunts! What an amazing garden shop that was, I've still never found anywhere better than that. Started my first garden with plants, tools and advice from there. Sad loss, now yet another bar...

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  • 6 months later...
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Hi SFB,

Do you know anyone who was involved with the Salamander restaurant. I believe Salamander, Mushroom bookshop, Hiziki and Out To Munch were all run by the same co-op. I would like to revive the name 'Salamander' but don't want to do so without permission. Thanks.

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Hi there Nottsvegan,

They were separate co-ops - linked by friendship and mutual support and promotion only. After Out to Munch closed, Hiziki took on the café, calling it Café Hiziki. Some café members then opened Salamander. Not sure if it was a separate co-op to Hiziki / Café Hiziki - I suspect it would have been in order to protect the wholefood shop if the restaurant went out of business.

At least one of the ex-Salamander members still lives in Nottingham, I see him from time to time, but don't have a contact. I think there is a way of checking whether a name is taken or copyrighted or whatever it is - got to be worth googling. Might be simplest to come up with a different name if you're concerned!

Let us know how you go on.

Cheers.

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  • 10 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Holy hippies, Batman!

 

I well remember Mushroom in 77-78 on Heathcote Street - used to browse and buy incense from there. The healthfood shop, Ourobouros, was on Mansfield Road - almost opposite York House.

 

Where else did the hippies hang out?

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  • 7 months later...

They did a great line in books on magic, astral projection, clairvoyance etc. Bought a set of Tarot Cards there as well as books by authors like Kafka, Camus and Hesse.

That was in the days I had lots more hair and wore an Afghan Coat drenched in musk oil lol.

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Yes, that's the shop that was at the end of Arky for a while. I only went in a couple of times, the last time two blokes were arguing hammer and tongs, talk about peace and harmony..lol

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