Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The 'monoculturisation' of Green Lanes
Since I moved to the area in 2015, the section of Green Lanes from the Overground northwards has progressively become more and more monocultural. I think it began in earnest with the huge expansion in size of the three biggest restaurants on the street - Diyarbakir, Gokyuzu, Hala, and has continued since then.
There's now over 20 Turkish restaurants/takeaways between the Salisbury and the Overground station, 8 barbers, and pretty much the rest of the street is grocery shops, jewellery shops, salons/nail parlours and cake shops, sometimes doubled up. I struggle to think of many streets in central-ish London bar Brick Lane which have so little diversity.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Turkish food and love the fresh produce in the grocers. I use the barbers most months. But, how is it that the street is so same-y? I'm genuinely interested in the dynamics of this. Is it that most of the buildings are owned by Turkish/Kurdish landlords who then rent out to other business owners/entrepreneurs in the community?
I was under the impression that councils were supposed to do what they could to enable diverse high streets. This clearly seems not to have been happening on Green Lanes over the last decade. There is now little choice for residents who live locally. Dusty Knuckle stands out as something different that seems to do very well, showing that local residents will give something different their custom, and do so in droves.
Yes there have been a few restaurants that offer something different, but in my experience they've not been great quality or targeted well at what local residents might use often. Other high streets in the general area are much more varied (Stroud Green Road, Crouch End, Stoke Newington Church St). So why is Green Lanes so totally dominated by multiple variations of the same thing? Why can't anything else get a look in?
Just to fend off predictable criticism of the above:
- Yes, I moved here knowing the area had a strong Turkish/Kurdish community, and yes, if I don't like it, I can, and may well move away from the area.
- No, I'm not racist, and do not resent the Turkish business community. I give many shops and local businesses my custom daily, preferring to shop in them over big chains whenever I can.
- Yes, this is a luxury problem during a cost of living crisis.
All I'm suggesting is that at this point, Green Lanes might be experiencing 'too much of a good thing', and that a little diversity of choice might be nice to have. And wondering why it might be the case.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by drpepper on
-
I don't think anyone's debating that they're good Turkish/Kurdish restaurants, though I'd say that the biggest, glitziest ones aren't especially cheap any more even - prices have risen steeply.
The issue I'm raising is that there is almost nothing but Turkish/Kurdish food on Green Lanes and that the amount of traffic on weekend nights might suggest that a lot of the custom isn't actually residents from the immediate local area who'd presumably just walk!
It's the doubling up of businesses too - multiple variations of the same thing that just decreases choice for residents, along with the multi-frontage expansion of existing businesses.
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
-
It wasn’t a comment on the diversity of cuisine, or the lack of it, but about the assertion that these businesses are an example of money laundering. I have no idea if any of them do but the number of punters who use them would suggest that at least some are making a lot of money. I too would like to see a wider offering but they simply don’t seem to thrive here, any more than a place serving a Scandinavian menu would in Chinatown - it not what people travel to the area to eat.
-
-
Ah I see, apologies, didn't know that's the bit you were replying to!
-
-
I get what you mean but I think there are a lot of factors at play for a number of those businesses. Baldwins I don't 'think' was related to the amount of custom, but I might be wrong.
I think judging by the busy-ness of Dusty Knuckle, there's a sizeable number of residents who will pay for really high quality offerings. Prices for house on the ladder and nearby are clearly not cheap, so for better or worse there's clearly quite a lot of people with disposable income around, or people who are mortgaged up-to-their eyeballs, or both.
Indika and Hanoi Pho were different, but IMO they were disappointing and not high quality. Yaalu Yaalu had their work cut out with such a big space, a cuisine that's not very familiar to many, and not many opportunities to drive all day business unlike a cafe. As I recall it wasn't that cheap either. I went a few times to try to support it. I struggle to think why the types of restaurants/businesses that exist on Stroud Green Road, or Blackstock Road wouldn't survive on Green Lanes. I'm sure a Dotori type place would do well, ditto a Tenmaru Ramen or a Yak & Yeti, or anything similar to a number of the businesses in Crouch End.
I would hazard a guess that a lot of the custom for some of the big restaurants on GL is not actually people who live in the immediate area, judging by the traffic and number of fancy cars around on the weekend. It seems to be a bit of a destination spot for a weekend meal for people travelling in from further out in London. Did we really need a bouncered-up Rakkas, or are people who actually live nearby crying out for something else? I know I am, as you can tell!
-
-
Turkish food is nice, but I'm vegan and it is very, very meat-focussed. I mostly go to Kata Kitchen at Brouhaha, cos at Japanese restaurants I can choose from a wide range of dishes.
-
Permalink Reply by kotkas on
-
What is also worth mentioning is the vertical integration that’s obviously taking place. For example, the current ‘butcher’ Umut Meat, which has taken the place of Baldwin’s is a retail outlet of a wholesaler under the same name which supplies Turkish restaurants with kebab and other sort of meats.
Similarly, I’d be surprised if the pre-packaged hummus and other produce sourced by the Turkish restaurants on Green Lanes isn’t provided by the same wholesalers who supply the convenience shops/off licenses. On the whole, I agree with the sentiment that diversity is stifled and I’d add quality is declining.
There remain 2 fabulous remaining Turkish/Kurdish restaurants which are exceptional in their craft and lack of pretense - Kofteci Metin and Nawroz. The rest are just 100% the same and I find their decor to be tasteless and pretentious.
-
-
I don't know much about that but I agree that Umut doesn't look great and not really a decent replacement for Baldwins. I would say that supermarket hummus isn't a patch on what's available in the grocery shops for half the price.
-
Permalink Reply by KP on
-
I never eat at any of the Turkish restaurants because there's too much meat for my taste but I agree drpepper about the hummus definitely being a lot better in the local shops than in any of the supermarkets
-
Permalink Reply by Ruth on
-
The loss of banks and building societies and a proper Post Office from Green Lanes is lamentable though I know that is a trend across the country.
I do wonder what impact of more restaurants and cafes has on local air quality down our streets. Some summer evenings and days you can see plumes of dark smoke drifting down my street. Have any studies been done?
-
-
I remember seeing a post about this in terms of air quality with the number of restaurants on the street. I imagine the air pollution on GL is pretty terrible to begin with and I'm guessing cooking fumes don't help at all either.
Agree the post office and banks, there's always a big queue in the new 'post office' and everyone, punters and staff included looks pissed off. It's an easy write-off of 10-15mins each time I go.
-
-
The answer to the "why" part of your question is that businesses tend to cluster. It's been happening for centuries, there are old street names in every town that reflect the activities that used to cluster there. It happens for a lot of practical reasons such as making it easy for customers to find what they want and it actually helps the businesses survive. There's also city wide clusters, like London; finance, Dundee; comics and space software.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
