Nisa Local

There’s one thing you need on the way to work in the morning, whatever the weather, when you’re stopping by to pick up a pint of milk for the office fridge. A smile. And that’s what you get in Nisa. There is a smiling employee behind a counter to greet you no matter what time you walk in there. Okay, so if you’re looking as dishevelled as I usually did on my way to Spinningfields when I worked there and can’t bear the thought of human beings looking at you it can feel a little uncomfortable, but at the end of the day (or the beginning in my case) the sentiment is there and it made me feel warm and fuzzy. Which is always a nice feeling, unless it’s accompanied with churning nausea.
This particular brand of newsagent is one I’ve found myself using a lot when trundling around Spinningfields. It’s a much needed addition to the district. For Leftbank dwellers it’s a place to quickly pop out to in your sweats and Uggs (Bear Paws for me, but then again I don’t live in Leftbank) and get that last minute pint of milk, packet of cigarettes, bottle of wine, magazine and suchlike. It is rather large though, around the same size as the Tesco Metro on Quay Street, but generally I wouldn’t come here for the major stuff I’d grab in Tesco, simply because in newsagents such as this they do tend to bump the prices up a little. And because of my obsessive compulsive I-​like-​things-​to-​be-​under-​a-​quid rule, not all things obviously but simple store cupboard standbys, well, it doesn’t really suit me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly extortionately expensive. I’m just weird like that.
As I briefly mentioned, location wise it is great. This particular area is lacking in shops for essentials, so it’s great to see a simple little mini market alongside a dry cleaner. I may no longer work in Spinningfields but I certainly walk around there a lot, and this is certainly still useful. It’s even got a stand where you can grab freshly made hot wraps for all your demanding appetite needs. Plus I recently discovered it’s pronounced «Nicer». Who’d o’thunkit? Nisa, I salute you, and your ability to drill a friendly facial expression into every employee at the shop. Now if you could just teach me the secret to eternal happiness that you’ve seemingly taught them… wait a minute, is that a self-​help book I see under the cashier’s desk?

Sometimes I’m lucky enough to come from work at 11 o’clock in the night. Not a nice feeling, especially if you know that you don’t have any eggs, pizza or milk in the house. A beer as well is like a must after such a terrible day, and usually nowhere is open at that time in the night. Lucky me, one day I took the tram from town to Salford Quays and I’ve discovered a lovely little shop, Nisa. Definitely not good for lots of shopping, because I’m afraid it is quite expensive. Local shop basically. But, for few little items at 11 in the night is awesome. The staff is really friendly. I usually chat to one the guys that never believes me when I tell him my age, he asks me about my day at work and offers a nice smile which makes me believe that he might be the manager trying to keep the customers interested. If I want to go for a walk on the Quays, I stop there to buy a coke or something for the journey. I love that they have the best tropical juice ever. It is the only shop that sells that brand, which I believe that might be their own.