I took these photos ages ago (March 22 2009 according to Flickr), but this morning, I went passed a hardware shop and I was reminded of them.

Romanys is a hardware shop on Brewer Street in Soho. Note that there are two doors, both numbered 51:

The display in the window is quite beautiful. It consists of a wide range of their products, mounted onto boards, with a label stating the name of each product neatly printed in block capitals.

I am always impressed by the range of penknives Romanys have on display in their window.

The Ambassador, the Tinker, the Waiter and the Spartan:

The Mini-Champ and the Sportsman:

The Excelsior, the Recruit and the Climber:

The Camper and the Tourist:

EDIT: It’s only looking at these photos again now, a year and a half after they were taken, that I’ve noticed the other items in the background. “1978 Fanlight Catch”, “Brighton Fastener”, “Fitch Catch Fastener”, “Buffer Hook”, “75MM Hasp And Staple, “Table Forks”. I need to go back and investigate more closely.