Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Tough times for Green Lanes?
There seems to be a managed decline going on Green Lanes over the last few months with shops and restaurants with very few customers or empty shops standing idle.
When we moved here over 10 years ago there were queues outside Gokyuzu and Devran on a weekend. Now Devran has rebranded (again) with weird décor and still is mostly empty.
Umut (butchers) has a sign up saying 'under new management' - didn't it only open less than a year ago.
Costa has closed down - but way too close to the larger outlet in the shopping centre.
A barbers has stood closed with nearly all of the fittings installed opposite to Iceland.
Hanedan has been empty for almost a year.
Bucking the trend are Music and Beans, Dusty Knuckle (can they ever bake enough for the Saturday crowd), 33 Grocery Store, Stamp, and Brouhaha. And of course the Sailsbury.
Couple of musings - How do the shops / restaurants with practically no custom survive? Why is the high street not evolving? Yoga studio, vets, play cafe etc....
I know the high street has it tough but I can't believe there isn't enough demand around here for more.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Caroline on
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Yes, we really need a like button for refreshing and informed comments such as this. There are too many people on this site posting with their subconscious biais (let's face it, racist) views on this site
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Permalink Reply by Brian Mahoney on
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It's worth noting that money laundering is at the apex of the criminal ecosystem. It allows the big fish to legitimise the money they have extracted from otherwise innocent shop keepers, young people whose lives are destroyed by drugs, and the parents of boys who stab each other over drug distribution areas.
If there is evidence of money laundering (rather than conjecture), it should be reported to the police and HMRC. If enough people do that, then action should be taken.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Fowler on
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The Met and HMRC are fully aware of money laundering, but they lack the resources to tackle it. The police do not care, unless there is violence. We should not forget that the City of London is the biggest money-laundering, tax-avoidance, capital of the world. Up against immensely wealthy lawyers, tax accountants, etc in the City, the views of ordinary Londoners count as nothing.
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Permalink Reply by matthew cuthbert on
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There are 32 restaurants on Green Lanes, perhaps over saturation without demonstrating need. It’s on a par with Lygon Street , (Melbournes premier Italian quarter.) HANEDAN is to become a Tunisian restaurant, refurbishment ongoing.
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Just walked down Green Lanes and all the restaurants seem to be full. You mentioned several places which are thriving, which seems to totally contradict your theory that our high street is on decline. It was always ridiculous that we had two Costas so close together. What do you mean by "not evolving"? Do you mean that it's not turning into a gentrified high street, because that's what it sounds like? I just cannot with the Yoga studio, but hey, we have a Sushi restaurant now 🙂
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https://www.moreyoga.co.uk/yoga-london/harringay-studio
Here's a Yoga studio for you.
I'm really so sick of the constant negativity towards Green Lanes on this site and I'm really having to hold my tongue/typing finger here. I feel that we are a very unique and special area. Traditionally with a transient, migrant population, of course, in recent times, this area has become very attractive to more affluent people who ate up the cheap housing due to the excellent transport links and proximity to central London (and priced us all out, but anyways, trying not to be bitter). However, unlike other areas, we have maintained our diversity. I could not be more proud of all the excellent Turkish restaurants or of the Kurdish community who fight for justice on our streets. Our high street is doing just fine and we actually have a fantastic mix of health food shops, fancy bakeries and restaurants which appeal to the gentrified crowd, as well as 24 hour convenience shops, fast food restaurants and so very many very useful stores. If you moved here hoping this would eventually turn into Upper Street, Islington, then I'm sorry for your disappointment, but I think we all have so much to appreciate here and I wish I saw more appreciation here.
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👏👏👏 well said!
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Absolutley. Walk around most high streets in London and you find the same chains interspersed with vacant shopfronts. We’re in quite a lucky position where if that’s what you want you can take a short walk up to Wood Green. If you don’t then it’s on our doorstep.
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I've lived here since 1989, and over the period since the area generally, homes on both sides of Green Lanes, and the retail offers on Green Lanes, has been steadily, if slowly, been gentrified. It is apparent that, the ladder rung roads having been gentrified, in the last couple of years gentrification has jumped Green Lanes, and areas to the east of Green Lanes are moving up. A walk along St Ann's Road from Green Lanes, at least as far as St Ann's hospital, shows this. When the housing development at St Ann's is completed, and people move in, we will see the whole area moving up in the world. It remains to be seen whether the many Turkish/Kurdish/near Eastern owned businesses on Green Lanes will survive or adapt. I too hope Green Lanes doesn't end up like Upper Street Islington, where gentrification began around 1970, and is now pretty well complete.
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Islington still has large swathes of social housing estates and social housing interspersed in the victorian terraces so whilst some is gentrification central it isn't all. I lived on the Ladder in the mid 1980s and near Blackstock Road in Highbury in the 90s - the pace of gentrification of both areas is glacial. You are talking 30 years at least to get the more gentrified shops and restaurants to be in the majority.
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Permalink Reply by PeterPiper on
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Living on the Ladder, I find it hard to consider it's been gentrified when Harringay Ward has the largest number of HMOs in the borough.
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Looks to me like the Costa may just be refurbishing, not closing permanently (though it certainly looked like that at first).
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