| Nifty Gifty | |
|---|---|
| Location information | |
| Location |
12 Little Bevan Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1 |
| Owner(s) | |
| Closed in | |
| Type |
Giftshop |
| Merchandise |
Various |
- "I do sell an awful lot of wank, don't I?"
- —Fran Katzenjammer
Nifty Gifty was a giftshop owned by Fran Katzenjammer located on Little Bevan Street, Bloomsbury, London. It sold a variety of different objects; however, most of the merchandise was not organised into sections, making it difficult for customers to navigate through the shop. Fran had to close the shop in 2004, probably due to low income.
History[]
pre-2000[]
Some time before 2000, Fran Katzenjammer bought a small building on Little Bevan Street, Bloomsbury. It is unknown what purpose the building had then; however, she renovated it and converted it into a giftshop called Nifty Gifty.
2000[]
During 2000, the shop was attracting very few customers. Fran had started buying random merchandise, even objects she didn't even know the purpose of. Her friend, Bernard Black, also the owner of the shop next door, occasionally looked after the shop when Fran was absent. Fran had admitted that she did not run the shop very well and often complained about her carelessness when buying stock.
Closure and renovation[]
- Bernard: "You hated your shop."
- Fran: "I know but ever since it closed I feel empty inside."
- — Bernard and Fran discuss the closure of Nifty Gifty
Between 2000 and 2002, Fran was forced to close the shop presumably due to low income. She went through a period of depression after this. Despite her hatred for the shop, she claimed to feel empty inside and became very bored; however, she soon got over this. The building was bought by Evan and was blocked off and the windows boarded up until construction work started on the new building.
The shop was then renovated and turned into a modern bookshop called Goliath Books. It attracted many more customers than Nifty Gifty, and remained open to at least 2004.
Layout[]
Exterior[]
The exterior of the shop displays the shop's name, Nifty Gifty, above the entrance. To the left of the entrance there is a large window looking into the interior which also displays some of the main products on offer. In front of this window is a staircase which leads down to what might be a basement.
Interior[]
The shop is very small with various shelves lining the walls holding up merchandise. The main entrance is decorated with beads and shells which customers have to pass under to enter. Bernard Black usually gets caught up in these beads. The shelves are lit by a yellow light, illuminating the products on offer. The cashier's desk and cash register are located toward the back of the shop.
Behind the scenes[]
- All exterior shots of Nifty Gifty were shot on Leigh Street, Bloomsbury [1].
- The building where all exterior shots of Nifty Gifty were shot is actually a house [2].
- All interior shots of Nifty Gifty were shot on a set in Teddington Studios, Teddington, Middlesex [3].
Appearances[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Filming locations for Black Books on IMDb
- ↑ Black Books Series 1 DVD commentary
- ↑ Filming locations for Black Books on IMDb