'I was gobsmacked when Alice Cooper came in'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwrdkv1x98o

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Adhum Price and his colleagues chatted to Alice Cooper and took selfies with the star

“I was just kind of gobsmacked.”

Chances are you would be too, if a world famous rock star just strolled into your workplace.

For Adhum Price, who was in the stockroom when he found out Alice Cooper had wandered into his goth store, his reaction was to instantly run to see him at the till.

"I just bolted out of the room and as I entered the stairwell I thought ‘OK, I need to calm down a bit’," he said.

Cooper told them he was due to be on stage at the Utilita Arena shortly after dropping into Blue Banana, in Birmingham, but had some free time and wanted to check out the city's shops.

While not quite a case of School's Out, the rock legend chatted to staff, took selfies and even joked he would use the resulting photos for his next album cover.

Mr Price added: “He did tell me that I looked cool and I completely forgot to say thank you because I was so brain-wacked from the fact that I was stood in front of Alice Cooper!"

Mr Price said the store had also welcomed other celebrity shoppers in the past

During the visit in mid-October, Cooper bought some fingerless gloves and a hat and the manager said he was thrilled to then see photos of the star wearing the gloves at a gig in Manchester the following night.

While not a regular occurance, the Blue Banana has seen the occasional other celebrity visitor, often when they were performing in the city, such as a recent visit by Ella Eyre.

But in Cooper's case, Mr Price said, as his store sold “alternative” and “rock edge vibe” clothing, they particularly matched Cooper’s taste.

“We told him to really enjoy himself while he was here, to get around town and just chill," he added.

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