Pennywise

Pennywise has to be one of the most aptly named shops I have encountered for a long old while. As Sophie says it has the usual selection of car boot sale style bits and bobs; the 25p Mars darks and the brightly coloured plastic buckets. But that’s definitely not where the joy ends — as ever it has the slightly socially challenged shop keeper and endlessly useful selection of fittings that always leaves you wondering how many of these things you were left wanting last time you were doing a bit of DIY and how any number of these hooks and brackets could enhance your day to day life.
There is also a small, but fairly good, selection of tools which are all so cheap for the given quality that you wonder how the larger stores are still in trading. I saw a set of tin snips here that I had bought from Camberley Auto Factors about a year ago for sixteen pounds, priced at eight pounds sixty four. The only trouble for me is that I don’t live on Lewes Road, but for all the students in this area this place could be a cheap way to renovate the dives that estate agents have been fobbing you off with.

This is a great random general store. The kind of shop that you sadly see less and less of these days. It’s also a shame that you won’t find Ronnie Barker or David Jason appearing from out back, but oh well! What you will find is a lot of random goods and supplies.
Key cutting, mops, pegs and any general household item is likely to be found on the shelves. They also have a lot of food and toiletry items at reduced prices. The staff area good bunch and always happy to point you in the right direction. As a student on Lewes road, I always found this a great shop to restock the supplies of the house or tackle the random hiccups that seem to regularly occur in rented student houses.
All the prices are reasonable and the produce more than adequate for the money. Don’t just walk by and dismiss this shop, you could save yourself some money if you pop in.

It looks like a clutter from the outside, but you’ll find a ton of stuff inside. They cut keys, let’s get that out of the way right off the bat, and let’s focus on the mish mash of items they have inside. I purchased some drain unblocker and a few other bathroom cleaning supplies. I also picked up a can of Raid, so hopefully I can eliminate that pesky insect problem in the corner of my bathroom.
The staff is very friendly, and will help you pick out some of reach items. And after you finish your household shopping, you can pick up a chocolate bar on your way out.

This place is full to the rafters with all sorts of household bits and bobs. As the name suggests you will be ‘pennywise’ if you shop here. The other guys have ran through all the stuff they offer so I will leave that.
If you are a student this is the place to go but if you are with a letting agent then they might have an account with Pennywise so you can get the agent to pay on their account and you can go and pick up whatever it is you want.

Pennywise needs a bigger sign! I’ve been by it several times and can only see the advertisement for key cutting. I ventured inside today, however, and was pleased with the discovery. This isn’t quite a poundland or 99p shop, but prices are extremely reasonable.
The range of items is similar to such discount shops: houseware, hardware, toiletries, snacks and Christmas supplies. The bonus is that it’s not busy. So, for a few cents more, I’d definitely choose this for budget shopping.

Like Jessica W., I had no idea what this place was called until just the other day, despite a couple of years of using Pennywise! The simple fact of the matter is they haven’t left room for a sign, what with all the mops, brooms, bags, washing lines and dustbins stacked up and hanging from every available corner. And I guess it doesn’t matter, because there’s no mistaking what the shop is, the products advertise themselves!
In addition to providing a key cutting service, Pennywise is a one-​stop shop for all your domestic needs… cleaning equipment, storage containers, kitchen items, drain unblocker, tools, light bulbs… all the usual items you would expect from a decent DIY shop. I find shops like Pennywise so much more satisfying than places like Homebase and B&Q, for two reasons:
a) the people who inhabit these shops are genius, you’ll find some real characters both working and shopping in store
b) the random items you can buy here are amazing– why not pick up a Kinder Bueno while you purchase a fishing net??! Perfectly logical!
All in all, a great neighbourhood store that will probably sell whatever you need!