Folk Windmill Street
Welcome to part II of Folk’s Great Windmill Street shop. This week we meet Boris, the retired French dj and box-fresh Morecambe to Jon’s Wise. And because it’s Friday, we’re keeping things light: 3 fast facts about the shop and finishing with a pint and pub quiz between the shopkeepers.
Music
Music There’s always something nice on. Had you gone in last week, you’d have heard the housey sounds of DJ Nature on the Bang and Olufson stereo (Jon’s choice). FKA Milo Johnson, a Massive Attack alumus who incidentally everyone thinks looks like Jon. ‘Other days, we play film soundtracks. Because we’re quite old,’ apparently. Last Tango In Paris and Chinatown are favourites. They like how a soundtrack means a narrative plays out over the course of the day. This makes for a beguiling shop: I can’t be the only one tempted to lurk around long past the lunch-hour curfew to hear the end of the tune/story. So, so far, so modern. ‘Yeah. Though the other day I had some monks chanting on,’ Jon tells me, much to my delight - Welsh male voice choirs a new personal fave - these were Greek monks..
Words
Speaking of Wales, at the moment the shop has a quote by the Welsh writer Iain Sinclair scrawled across the window. ‘The faster we walk, the more ground we lose.’.
Bargains
Come by come buy, perhaps it’s bias (I do like the kit) but there are some superb things at slashed prices for the ‘end of summer’ (gah) sale. Half price suits! Were I a guy, I’d get the navy twill Tailored blazer (£350 £175) and trousers (£195 £95) and sooooft soft flannel shirt in Ecru which is £110 £75..
Folk Windmill Street
The pub quiz
The Windmill Street Shopkeepers: they’ve steered Soho ship together in blissful harmony for years, but how well do they know each other? Jon Milbank on Boris Horel and Boris on Jon.
Describe each other in 5 words
Jon on Boris: small / french! / happy / calm / curious
Boris on Jon: Funny / grumpy / precise / reserved / English
What's his middle name?
Jon on Boris: Doris
Boris on Jon: Camisa ... Jonathan Camisa Milbank
Where does he live?
Jon on Boris: Leytonstone
Boris on Jon: Who knows ?! I believe in a cave somewhere near Greenwich
How does he take his tea?
Jon on Boris: Herbal
Boris on Jon: More a coffee snob kind of guy ... black Americano
What is his signature catchphrase to customers?
Jon on Boris: Bonjour!
Boris on Jon: He's too classy to have a catch phrase . A very subtle head shake acknowledgement maybe...
You can tell he’s in a good mood in the morning if…
Jon on Boris: He’s always in a good mood
Boris on Jon: He's never in a bad mood really , just normal grumpy and a bit tired .. kids wake up is very very early ! So we moan a bit and soon have a good laugh
The first thing Boris/Jon does when he gets in in the morning is…
Jon on Boris: Quick chat then window bars off or hoover in world record time. He’s really fast!!!
Boris on Jon: Fold his bike and start thinking about lunch
His go-to lunch is…
Jon on Boris: This can change daily. But probably some kind of ramen or pho
Boris on Jon: Easy... jon had a prosciutto ham and stracchino cheese at Camisa and Son, every single day I’ve known him. A legend says some cheese runs into his brain
Please pic one Folk garment currently in the shop that Boris/Jon would look $1 million in
Jon on Boris: Probably the Rab jacket in Military green, classic summer jacket and short cut, good for small people
Boris on Jon: Jon has the ability (and the size) to make anything look good . Quite annoying… but to pick one, maybe the raglan sweat that he has in every colour
Who is best at looking after the plants?
Jon on Boris: We're even on that one, but Boris will say him because he's got a garden so that makes him better
Boris on Jon: Me! Because I've got a garden! No, both of us really. We’ve got a love hate relationship with those plants right now... they’ve outgrown their pots and are way too thirsty
If he was a 1990s RnB star he’d have been...
Jon on Boris: Prince
Boris on Jon: He’s not an Rnb guy but the closest you could get would be Massive Attack or Toots and the Maytals maybe
If he was a 1990s RnB star he’d have been...
Jon on Boris: Talking s**t, and just talking
Boris on Jon: He saves me on psychologist fees ☺ We'r both talking machines and can go on talking for everrrrrr. He’s an amazingly big hearted guy, with a sense of observation that’s pretty rare in this day and age! (It’s only a shame it’s stuck in a smaaall moody English body ;-)). Oh, and his got the cutest little boy he calls Ernest
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Words: Charlotte Brook