Andrew Kay has a new friend, Thrifty Nick, and he lives in a shop window

I have a new and very special friend. His name is Thrifty Nick and he lives in a shop window. I spotted him a few weeks back, but at first I held back, I mean, do I need a new friend, and especially one who lives in a shop window?
Now before anyone gets the wrong idea, Thrifty Nick actually lives in the window and not in a doorway. I have not take taken to befriending the homeless on a random basis, far from it. I am in fact contemplating writing a self help pamphlet to hand out to everyone who asks me if I have any spare change, and especially to those who have the audacity to do so whilst smoking a fag, clutching a can of Tennant’s Super and berating some poor dog on a bit of string. It could have some useful addresses on it and a message saying smarten yourself up! In every sense.

I took a taxi the other day and the driver informed me that London, his words not mine, was driving homeless people down to Brighton in mini-buses and leaving them here in an attempt to clean up the capital for the Olympics. Surely not true? Please someone, confirm that this is not one of Boris’s initiatives.

Funnily enough Thrifty Nick has some of Boris Johnson’s sartorial style. In other words, he dresses like a loon. Boris usually looks like he dresses by running through a charity shop, Thrifty Nick simply lives in one.

After a while I started to take pics of Nick, a record of his wardrobe, his lifestyle and the women in his life. My word he has a lot of lady friends who drop by. I even posted the pics on Facebook where they attracted even more attention. So much so that others have joined in, snapping him on the days when my busy schedule does not take me down London Road.

“Thrifty Nick has some of Boris Johnson’s sartorial style. In other words, he dresses like a loon”

So great was the response that Thrifty Nick now has his own page, Thrifty Nick’s Window, which he manages himself, adding curious quips and bon mots as he goes.
I’m sure that he is not the only window dweller of interest in Brighton’s rich world of charity shops and he tells me that he would love to hear from other window dwellers. So if you spot them then find Thrifty Nick’s Window on Facebook and post a pic there, who know, they may become friends. I know for fact that he would like to find a steady girlfriend.

PS Nick is not really interested in headless dummies. He says “It’s tough enough making small talk when you are a dummy. When you are a headless one it’s damn nigh impossible!”.