MOURNERS from across Gospel Oak said goodbye yesterday (Wednesday) to Frank Streeter, the man who ran the landmark Frank’s Superstore in Queen’s Crescent for more than six decades. 

A packed memorial chapel at Golders Green Crematorium heard tributes to Frank, “a founding father of Queen’s Crescent”, who died last week aged 95.

His shop, now managed by his son Frank Junior and daughter Gillian, was closed for the day as a mark of respect – and mourners left flowers decked out in the red and white colours of his favourite football team, Arsenal, behind the closed shutters. 

Frank will be remembered for his warmth and his work ethic. He became a legend in the area he called home for the best part of 70 years.

Frank Streeter

After wartime service in the RAF, he and his wife Beryl – they had started dating during the war – set up a small café in Queen’s Crescent.

Frank worked in the kitchen, serving traditional fare. His cookery skills were well known, and he loved nothing more than making shepherds’ pie or creating roast dinners.

In 1965, after meeting a contact based at a biscuit factory in Cheshire, Frank decided to launch a sideline that made his shop famous across north London.

He started selling loose biscuits such as digestives, creams and wafers individually, as they were cheaper to buy than in packets. The results were so successful Frank changed the name of the café to The Biscuit Shop. 

He expanded the business, setting up a deli counter to serve cheese and meat products and, in the 1970s, moved into the shop next door, which he turned into a snack bar selling rolls and sandwiches.

Despite the huge responsibility and the hours he put in at the shop, Frank always found time for his hobbies. A keen gardener, he grew fruit and vegetables and supplied family and friends with boxes of apples, strawberries, peas and carrots. 

With a friend, Adam Jackson, he owned six greyhounds and would watch them race at Harringay dog track and at Wembley. He also loved horse racing, and would often travel to Goodwood. 

But above all, his greatest sporting passion was Arsenal. He would head to Highbury regularly, taking children and grandchildren along. His shop still has various pieces of Arsenal memorabilia. 

Frank worked at the store that bears his name until he was 89, and then enjoyed a well-earned retirement surrounded by his six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

He died seven weeks after Beryl passed away.