Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Make a Difference and help change Wood Green High Street
I don't think that I have ever disguised my dislike of Wood Green High Street and it’s never ending pound shops, takeaways and betting shops - Tottenham High Road is almost identical. So fed up of sitting and moaning about it, this weekend I decided to take some action.
Many of you will be aware of the current discussions taking place about rejuvenating Britain’s High Streets with Mary Portas even being appointed government advisor to look into how we encourage more independent retailers back into the high St and we revive this great institution.
Yesterday I had a great conversation with Mary Portas and also the lovely chaps at the Big Green Book shop and with the Karamela cafe on Coburg Road to see if we thought there would be interest locally in creating something exciting on our High St.
This could be anything from helping independent retailers to set up shop in Wood Green and in Tottenham, to ask Landlords to let empty shops be used for pop up shops and to charge a nominal rent for them, to encourage more of a 'scene' in Wood Green and in Tottenham, we have some great things already going on at the Big Green Bookshop and at Karamela and at the Chocolate Factory and yet no-one really talks about them.
I am also keen to work with some of the bigger stores already located in the High St to get them to put their hands in their pockets and help us clear up the High St by donating plants etc to create a garden in the sky to rival Crouch End and the new Roof Garden project taking place in Dalston
I am not talking about gentrification here or turning Wood Green into the next Crouch End just about the community coming together and taking ownership of its High Street and the local area and making it a better place for everyone to visit.
I am sure that everyone has a lot of great ideas and if you would like to get involved I will be setting up a community working group it really doesn’t matter what your talent is if you feel that you have something to contribute I would love to hear from you. Karamela have very kindly agreed to host a get together. This is going to be a huge task but if we work together we can make change happen.
Thanks
Tammy
Tags for Forum Posts: festivals, wood green
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tammy Palmer on
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Hi Peter and Julia
Thanks for your posts. Julia I love your idea of an alternative pound shop!!!!! There is indeed a huge food festival taking place which is going to be amazing. The night time food market I am also really keen on. I don't know if anyone read the ES mag last night, but huge article on new things in food lots about pop up food wagons - the meat wagon was mentioned and lots of other new pop up ventures. The old st summer night time food market was also mentioned it has 20 stalls and runs every Friday throughout the summer, I love the idea of doing something similar in our area and it would be great to use it to reflect the diversity that we are famed for particularly the famed Vietnamese baguettes that I have heard so much about.
Peter - this is not my specialist area - am learning all I can though!! Today am in Wood Green scoping out indoor market, empty patches of land, empty shops ant space that could be used basically, any expertise you can bring here would be very appreciated. I can see where you are coming from on the high st reflecting what the community wants but I think that community is also changing, I also think its wrong to label it a poor community - this is part of the east of the boroughs problem regardless of someone's social situation they deserve something nice and as Julia says there is a huge sense of community here, I would hate us to become a notting hill boutique type high st, so we need to find things that work for everyone - or have a variety of things available for people to pick and choose from. I live in N17 and I am certainly not poor - none of my friends that live in WG, or Tottenham are, we are mostly professionals who earn an acceptable income! If you look at Hackney, Peckham and Camberwell all of these places have a variety of shops and events taking place that reflect the many different communities that live there, if they can do it we can!!!!!
I have been working in my day job with the Peoples Supermarket where I created a vintage style community cafe for our new London hub - they provide all of our food and we work in partnership with our people volunteering and skill sharing, its working brilliantly our staff and visitors love it and we are really fairly priced! There is no reason why we can't do something similar here. The guys over at Bounds Green are setting up a community cafe so I must go and have a look.
In other news Lynne Featherstone has asked for a meeting with me as she is keen to support, I am not remotely political but I think this a good thing! I haven't heard a peep back from David Lammy who I also thought would be good to engage with....
BTW I am in the truly fantastic Karamel cafe in Coburg Road as I write this having my lunch ashamed that this is my first visit, it is an amazing space, great seasonal menu art exhibitions comfy sofas, newspapers and very good prices - my omelette was just over 3 quid. This is set to become my saturday haunt.... Its so relaxing and such a great mix of people in here, if you haven't been in you really must! They are not open in the evenings yet but plan to be later this year, I suspect they will be rammed when they do.
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Permalink Reply by Susan on
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I think this is a great idea, and am willing to help if possible. I think this has to be set up by local people, not organised by councillors or the big chains. Also, its important to remember that although there are many professionals it is an area of high unemployment which is getting worse. For example, Tottenham College has just, shamefully, made many of its skilled professional staff redundant, and next autumn there will be hardly any English language classes for local people. It would be good to find a way to help people find ways to use their skills and help the local community at the same time. How about starting with a weekend festival with stalls that can be hired at a reasonable rate and selling crafts, books,food, etc. cheaply. e.g.I know someone who makes very reasonably priced beautiful, jewellery, someone else who makes great and healthy pizza etc. We could also have performers - musicians, poets, actors - there must be some local talent who would welcome the opportunity to perform publicly. Maybe the independent cinema club would set up some 'shorts' somewhere. Whatever we do should reflect the great strength of this community i.e. its multiculturalism. Why not start by contacting some of the local residents' associations, who are in touch with local interest. Haringey Federation of Residents' Associations will put you in touch with the ones in the Wood Green Area. Once we get people there we can stimulate interest in what might happen in the future, and involve them in setting up groups to investigate options. Again, this must be people focused to work, not council or big chain controlled. Wood Green mustn't become twee. If you agree with these ideas I'm happy to help, get back to me. Susan
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Hi Susan
What great ideas - I agree it needs to be people led, but I do also have to engage the big chains as they share this space as well - even if its only to help fund projects, dont forget many of them have built into their organisation local CSR responsiblities - so this could be skill sharing maybe helping small traders with areas like Visual merchandising, helping them to work out how P&L spreadsheets work for example.
I am totally shocked at Tottenham college - thats an entirely different though but seriously its disgraceful!!!! they shouldbe ashamed of themselves. drop me your e-mail address and would love to have you on board.
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Permalink Reply by Julia Bell on
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I would be happy to offer teaching skills for free in some capacity - also I have some art work postcards of some of my photos which I'd be happy to donate/sell in any alternative pound shop venture. Contact details through my website . . . V much agree about twee too, but in my experience in Birmingham community focused ventures are empowering and educative and are a way of pushing back against the lowest common denominator capitalism which is foisted on us by the big chains . . . best Julia
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