WM Smith is listed in most directories as a newsagent, though it does a bit more than that. It seems to prefer to present itself as a convenience store much like Costcutter or Londis; the sign on the wall next to the Abbey Dental Practice advertising that they include grocery, confectionary, photocopying, fax services, cards, paypoint (including for the payment of council tax), bus passes and lottery tickets among their offers to the public.
The sign to the upper right hand side of the business promotes 'A Mars a Day', and on entry to the bright and clean shop they certainly do have a lot of sweets, soft drinks, milk, ambient products, snacks, frozen meals and some sliced bread, though nothing to compare with Yildirim Bakery or which warrants the claim on their external sign that they have an 'In-store Bakery'. They also sell cigarettes, and a wide range and significant amount of booze and porn (on the top shelf to the right of the entrance). There are more jazz mags than at Satya Sai, but probably less booze than at Moonlight Food Store or the Turkish Shop. Below their top shelf offers they are stockists of daily papers, magazines, Viz and the Urdu Times.
Like most local newsagents they make a little extra money from their adverts in the right hand window, which today includes an advert offering a single room for an entire 'Muslim family' to live in off the Billet Road for £340 per month inclusive. There are also adverts for prostitutes - two in fact - sorry, they actually refer to 'Massages'; a driving instructor; lessons for 4 year olds in Islam; other rooms to rent; and separate adverts for bull mastiff puppies and some kittens for sale.
They are at 27 St James's Street, handy for the station and to the right of the Abbey Dental Practice. Tel 020 8521 7620. To the left are Planet Pizza and Four Seas, two take away businesses sharing the same premises.