editor
hiraethified
I got to know a lot of the people who lost their jobs at Kaff, and some of them are absolutely devastated.
Brixton's Kaff Bar to close in July, as landlords triple the rent
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Twattor
Well-Known Member
That is entirely understandable. A lot of effort will have been invested in building the business up over the last few years and it has obviously been reciprocated by the community as there is clearly a great deal of goodwill towards them. I sincerly hope that they are able to find another suitable venue not too far away (assuming they have the will to start again from scratch).
I also feel that although easy to rail against the greed of the landlords, to do so without having heard their side could be to do them an injustice.
editor
hiraethified
They've got just about no chance of finding anywhere. With Brixton now proving a $$$ honeypot to big chains, millionaires, well connected former public schoolboys and pretend 'independents,' there's just about nowhere remotely affordable for small local businesses to go.
A decent council would help out on that score, but then you've only got to look at what's happened at the arches and elsewhere.
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
If the landlords have any intention of giving them preference and/or continuity of employment I expect they'll say so in their statement tomorrow.
happyshopper
Well-Known Member
Which "big chains"?
Winot
I wholeheartedley agree with your viewpoint
M&S, Argos...
editor
hiraethified
Starbucks, Caffe Nero, Costa, Sainsbury's, H&M, the recent pile of major High Street phone stores, Premier Inn, Foxtons, TK Maxx etc etc etc. Are they big enough for you?
All opened up in the last five years or so.
Steve - the departing owner of Kaff posted this photo, and added this comment:
"And that was that. RIP Kaff. I feel as empty inside as you now"
Unlike
But tell him to look at the other end of the Victoria Line, he'd get a warm welcome in the hipster free streets of Tottenham
editor
hiraethified
His Facebook feed has been full of people imploring him to move Kaff to their neighbourhoods!Unlike
But tell him to look at the other end of the Victoria Line, he'd get a warm welcome in the hipster free streets of Tottenham
I could be proved wrong of course, but I'm pretty confident that whatever replaces Kaff will be shit by comparison.
Angellic
Well-Known Member
Wahaca
editor
hiraethified
I forgot about them. And then there's the recently arrived Colombo Group who have just scooped up Plan B and Electric Social.
And of course, Franco Manca, Joy and Honest Burgers have all turned into multi million chains now too...
And then there's the ever growing Antic (guffaw) 'Collective' (not to be confused with multi million property developers The Collective who have got their paws all over Pop Brixton).
BigMoaner
We will all go together
it's like a pop up middle class town now. or getting that way. middle class shit popping up all over the place. What's the opposite verb of popping up? fucking off? Maybe with the great recession of 2048 or the Great Crack Epidemic of 2067, all the middle class stuff will fuck off instead of pop up.
happyshopper
Well-Known Member
What was said was
So when I asked which "big chains" I was clearly asking, in the context of this thread, which big chains are taking up affordable places for small local businesses?
Obviously I know there are big chains in Brixton; there always have been since it became a major shopping centre. But I also know that almost all the businesses mentioned in reply to my question are in premises that were previously occupied by big chains. For example, Starbucks = Dorothy Perkins; Sainsbury's = Seven Eleven; H&M = F W Woolworth; O2 = Burtons; TKmMaxx = John Lewis. So I don't think any of the premises mentioned were ever occupied in the longer term by small local businesses.
So we come to Wahaca. This is undoubtedly a chain that is now fairly big. But the premises it occupies was previously part of the Brady's chain of pubs.
And what's interesting about Franco Manca, Joy and Honest Burgers is that none of them were chains when they came to Brixton, because that's where all of them started as small local businesses.
So when I asked which "big chains" I was clearly asking, in the context of this thread, which big chains are taking up affordable places for small local businesses?
Obviously I know there are big chains in Brixton; there always have been since it became a major shopping centre. But I also know that almost all the businesses mentioned in reply to my question are in premises that were previously occupied by big chains. For example, Starbucks = Dorothy Perkins; Sainsbury's = Seven Eleven; H&M = F W Woolworth; O2 = Burtons; TKmMaxx = John Lewis. So I don't think any of the premises mentioned were ever occupied in the longer term by small local businesses.
So we come to Wahaca. This is undoubtedly a chain that is now fairly big. But the premises it occupies was previously part of the Brady's chain of pubs.
And what's interesting about Franco Manca, Joy and Honest Burgers is that none of them were chains when they came to Brixton, because that's where all of them started as small local businesses.
editor
hiraethified
I'm not sure it's entirely fair to dance around the decades quite so selectively with your examples there!
For example, Plan B was indeed once a Wimpey but it was the independent Plan B for many, years until recently being swallowed up by the Colombo Group (who also swallowed up the non-chain Electric Social).
And it didn't go straight from John Lewis to TK Maxx - most recently it was a small boozer called the Rest Is Noise.
But the point I was making is that big money is now being attracted into Brixton and what appears to be a small independent start up is often generously backed - and it's those kind of businesses that are making it impossible for the small local start ups to get a foothold.
What is this Brady's pub chain, btw?
gdubz
Hashtaggin'
Antic...
editor
hiraethified
Just one shy of 40 pubs in the 'collective' now, with six more on the way.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Brady's was never a chain. AFAICR the landlord had an interest in one other pub (in Stockwell, I believe), but otherwise it was one of a dying breed - the independent free house.
happyshopper
Well-Known Member
Brady's was a chain owned by Brady Luke Ltd. wine and spirit merchants. I learnt the hard way, in the days before mobile phones, that when you agreed to meet someone at Brady's you had to specify which one.
I drank regularly in Brady's in Brixton Road (aka The Russell Hotel) and occasionally drank in Brady's Atlantic Road (aka The Railway Hotel). There were also Brady's in Shepherds Bush, Maida Vale, and the Euston Road. There may have been others but I think 5 is enough to make it a chain.
It was, or rather to my surprise, still is a family owned company and you can see their website here. This explains that they sold out to Courage's in the 1980s and are now running a fish and chip shop in Wandsworth.
Twattor
Well-Known Member
Any news on the landlords' statement alcopop DietCokeGirl ? We're waiting with bated breath here.
editor
hiraethified
Interesting! Do you know if it was still owned by Bradys when it became the Russell Hotel?
From that website I have learnt that there is a Jews Row in Wandsworth. I'd love to know the history of that street.
Hoss
...It was the blurst of times...
There's a Jews Walk in Sydenham. A piece in the Telegraph attempts to explain the origins:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/4810864/Inside-story-7-Jews-Walk.html
Dunno. Sorry
