By Diane Wailes
I’ve always been fascinated by the signage on ‘Sharma Wines,’ a traditional corner shop at the junction of North King Street and Grey Street. On one side the sign reads ‘General Grocer & Off Licence’ and on the other it says ‘JAPS Sports, Specialists in Cricket Equipment.’ I, Love North Shields’ went along to meet the owner, Prabhu Sharma, to find out more about this much-loved little shop.
Prabhu grew up in India and arrived in the UK in 1977, moving to North Shields four years later. With a postgraduate degree in Economics, his dream was to start his own business, and by the mid-1980s he was running a successful off-licence and video rental store. Prabhu says he’s always been a keen cricketer and he still plays badminton every week with guys who have been his friends for 35 years. As the video rental market declined, he decided to start importing sports equipment from India, to sell alongside the sweets and bottles of lemonade. Cricket bats, hockey sticks, footballs, badminton rackets; one half of his shop is a treasure trove of sports equipment. But, this is much more than a simple corner shop, albeit with the sporting twist. For example, Prabhu tells me that it’s easy for children to get bored in the holidays and to get up to mischief, so he’s very happy to loan them a football or cricket bat and ball, provided they promise to return them at the end of the day. Prabhu knows most of his customers; many of them are good friends and he describes some as “family.” Some of them bought sweets from him when they were children, and they now bring their own children to the shop for treats. Many come to the shop for conversation, companionship and advice, as much as to buy something. As if to prove a point, while we were talking, a lady arrived to buy milk and for advice on the best spices to put in a curry. There used to be six small shops in the neighbouring streets but all the others have closed.
I asked Prabhu in what other ways this part of North Shields has changed in the 43 years he’s been here, and his answer surprised me. “It hasn’t changed that much,“ he said. And then he explained, “the people here don’t pretend they’re something they’re not. They’ve always been welcoming to me and very polite and nice. That’s never changed. Contentment is key to a good life and I feel very content; it’s my community and I’m proud to live here.” Prabhu was also keen to tell me about his interests away from the shop. He loves travelling, history and architecture, and he’s a keen writer. He’s a member of a local writing group which meets weekly in the room behind the shop – it’s called the ‘Shiremoor Scribblers’ and they’re always looking for new members! He’s also in the process of writing a book himself, which is a guide to the places named in the ancient Hindu text, the Ramayana.
It was a real pleasure talking to Prabhu and our conversation only ended when a young customer arrived, wanting to talk to him about the shop’s recent appearance in a Newcastle United promotional video featuring star goalscorer, Alexander Isak. Prabhu immediately obliged by showing the excited young fan a picture of Isak and his dog, taken during the filming outside the shop. That felt like a good point to bring our conversation to a close and to leave Prabhu to the important business of listening to people and helping to bring a community closer together.
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