Those local sports men and women; be they snooker or pool players, footballers, cricketers, rugby players, golfers and athletes, flush with a warm glow as they contemplate the trophies on their mantelpieces might like to raise a small toast to Joe at G V Services of 1C Coppermill Lane. There is a good chance that it will have been Joe who has lovingly engraved their illustrious name on the trophy, if it was bought anywhere round Walthamstow, or the final of whichever sports competition they have excelled in took place round here.
Joe does not only sell and engrave trophies. That would be a foolish activity, because although there is some demand for trophies in the winter, for champions of darts and snooker and for golf and rugby in the months of January and February, not many sports trophies are doled out in March, a few are won from April to June at football, cricketers achieve glory from July to September and athletes achieve greatness over the summer. That leaves October and November as fairly lean months.
Joe is therefore what we call a Jack Of All Trades. A former tube train driver and sub post master, Joe is an accomplished man with a Master's degree capable of holding an intelligent conversation on an interesting breadth of topics. He is also a locksmith, and seller of gifts, a repairer of shoes and leather goods, key cutter, and engraver of glass and tankards.
His shop, between the closed Jewels Fashion and Accessories business and Amazing Nails, is far larger than it appears from the entrance, being much much wider to the rear than it is at its street entrance.
G V Services is open from Tuesday to Saturdays from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
Tel 020 85208711.