Bob’s Best Electrical

Bob’s Best Electrical is the kind of shop that makes Gloucester Road really special. I’m not sure if it is still the case, but when I first moved to Bristol five years ago I heard that Gloucester Road was the longest street of independent businesses in Europe. These days, this long and winding road is occasionally punctuated by small supermarket outlets that could very well have robbed the road of it’s unique status. This would be a dismal shame, not least because the local population ardently supports the independent businesses that still form the vast majority on this 3 mile stretch.
Bob’s Best Electrical is living testament to this fact. It’s one of those quirky businesses that stocks an eccentric array of goods with an owner that is deeply knowledgeable, and a character to boot. I have only ever bought light bulbs at Bob’s, but have been known to make up excuses to go in, just for the experience. I love that ‘stepping back in time’ feeling I get when I walk through the door. You get the sense that even the foundations are made out of odd looking spare parts for antiquated machines and gadgetry
Bob’s Best sell a range of reconditioned second hand cookers and other electrical appliances, as well as servicing your faulty ones. I called by today to see if they had a replacement belt for the spinner in my Hotpoint twin tub, but I got snarled in traffic and arrived too late. (This is one of the problems with Gloucester Road. Being one of the few arterial routes into the city centre it is often heavily congested, so it’s always best to leave in plenty of time to get where you’re going. Parking is another issue, although around this stretch of road it’s often not too bad). It’s a little infuriating that I didn’t get what I needed, (I have a months worth of washing at home, and there’s a strong chance that I’m going to have to resort to some pretty unpopular measures if I’m going to avoid revealing too much skin in the immediate future. Go Fabrese!)
They also sell an interesting selection of new goods including toasters, irons, kettles and telephones.
I’ve heard tell that some of the supermarket outlets are run at a loss on Gloucester Road. I find it hard to believe, but a big part of me hopes that it’s true. It would be a tremendously sad day if Bob’s Best Electrical were to close down.