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Alex Goes Shopping__

Opened in 1968, The Chelsea Drugstore was a sleek modern glass and aluminum fronted building on the northwest corner of Alex Goes Shopping Opened in 1968, The Chelsea Drugstore was a sleek modern glass and aluminum fronted building on the northwest corner of Royal Avenue and the Kings Road, in west London. Modeled on Le Drugstore onBoulevard St Germain in Paris, the Chelsea Drugstore was arranged over three floors and on most days remained open for up to 16 hours. Inside customers would find bars, a chemist, newsstands, record stores and other concessions. A popular service was the 'flying squad' delivery option run by the store. Those who used this service would have their purchases delivered by hand by young ladies adorned in purple catsuits arriving on flashy motorcycles.
The store is notably mentioned in The Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as well as it being a film location in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.[2] The store became a wine bar and then a McDonald's. Both pub and retail shops below were open until the late 1980s.

For an anorak in depth look the record sleeves on view in the film clip . The Rolling Stones mention the store in the song
You Can't Always Get What You Want Lyrics
I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him

I bought Falconer's Arm by Robbie Basho there on night in 1970 or thereabouts.
Incidently you pick - Let it bleed is worth quite a bit. A shop in Bristol has one on sale for £200. For that money it has to be in pretty good nick, stereo, blue inner sleeve and cmplete with poster. I have one just like that. Or at least I did, my son has borrowed it!

Comment
Message for Alistair Allen, we worked together in the Chelsea Drug Store Kings road in the 70's, I often think of you and Paul. I loved those days when we worked together, it would be great to hear from you.
Name
Alison Gardner now Mawby
(2021) Comment
The purple velvet coat in clockwork orange was in fact a plum suede coat sold by me to Malcolm in the Kensington market
Name
Lionel Avery
(2023) Facebook Group Comment I worked in the Record dept there around 1970 and loved every minute.I was able to play music throughout the store,and I was there when they filmed A Clockwork Orange. The band Hawkwind used to come into the bar fairly regularly, and Tom Jones came in with his wife to eat in the restaurant. Jane Birkin came in and bought several copies of Je T'aime for her friends.Wonderful memories I still treasure now at age 76 years young. Robib (2023)">Watch on YouTube


Comments

Dave Harwood
13 Sep 2024 at 04:22
I found this piece in the 'Chelsea News & General Advertiser' dated 7th May 1971: “THE £250,000 stainless steel controversial Chelsea Drug Store in King's Road closed down on Saturday night, just three years after it was built. It will re-open at the end of the summer, probably as a discotheque. Charringtons Ltd. (the management) however, insist that the drug store - the tin palace to locals - has been closed for purely financial reasons, which have nothing to do with the residents' campaigns waged against it in the past, notably by the Royal Avenue Residents Association.”

Details

Location

Kings Road & Royal Avenue SW3 4ND Chelsea / London

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