Abacus

I’m not too sure what to say about Abacus other than it has a lot of shiny things on display, which invariably attracts a great deal of attention, but I’d wager not much in the way of actual purchases. It’s the H. Samuel’s of Affleck’s in this respect, gathering attention more than custom.
I went here once to try and buy a chain for a pendant. The guy behind the counter was more than pleased to show me a whole array of types and lengths, possibly because I was the first human contact he had had all day. From behind his glass cabinets he reminded me of one of the dolphins at Sea World; the sad, desperate eyes longing for more than a passing interest in what he has to offer.
Unfortunately, like H. Samuel’s, the prices are all wildly at odds with the actual substance of the product. In this case, the cheapest chain was £10 and looked like it had been crafted by pixies. As I sadly turned him down, I could see the sorrow build in his eyes. He issued forth the wail of a man finally broken, his spirit breaking free from its earthly ties, and crumbled into a fine dust.

Yes, with so many Afflecks Palace copycats popping up all over Britain Abacus has suffered most in the turning off counter culture shops into generic, almost cringy parodies.
Yes, it stocks all of the expected body Piercing jewellery, Banksy Prints, silver Jewellery, Zippo lighters, Jack Daniels licensed products, smoking paraphernalia, crystal balls, tarot cards, sunglasses and ‘gifts’.
And yes, the secretly upper middle class white guy with dreads count is a lot higher than in say, WH Smith but damn it Afflecks wouldn’t be Afflecks without it!