10:33am Thursday 30th August 2007
By David Williams
THE owner of one of the borough's best-loved and most distinctive shops has died.
Colleen Palser, 70, had run Twitters in Hoe Street, Walthamstow, for 35 years before succumbing to mesothelioma - an asbestos-related form of cancer.
Twitters became well known for its extensive range of cake making goods and decorations, for Mrs Palser's flamboyance and the encyclopedic knowledge possessed by her and her staff.
Sue Jones, who has worked at Twitters since 1978, said: "It's the end of an era.
"Colleen had always been there. She was very easy going. The customers were more like friends to her.
"They're totally shocked, a lot of them have been crying. They can't believe she's gone."
In 1998 Mrs Palser told the Guardian: "Twittering is all about coming into the showroom and saying, I don't know how to do this.' "I get them to have a look around the store at the absorbing colours, ribbons and flowers and they soon get into the spirit of it."
Her speciality was wedding cake figurines, and she is believed to have been the London's first cake maker to offer figurines for mixed-race couples.
Such figures graced cakes at Harrods and Fortnum and Mason, along with those of countless Waltham Forest newlyweds.
Mrs Palser was also a keen dancer, performing in all styles from flamenco to ballet.
During her life she even performed for the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall during a fundraiser for the children's charity NCH.
Her brother Mike Cunnew said: "She was a theatrical person through and through. It was reflected in the showroom - for each customer, she was doing a presentation to them as if she were on stage."
Mrs Palser is thought to have been exposed to asbestos via her husband Bernie's overalls - he regularly came into contact with the substance as it was used as an insulator in catering equipment up to the 1980s.
She died earlier this month, and her funeral took place last week.
Twitters is now owned by Mr Cunnew and will remain open as before until a buyer can be found.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk