North London Food & Culture

Why It Matters: Could K-Town Become Chain-Free?


The other day I was in Windsor. Although a beautiful place, looking down the main drag felt like anywhere in the UK, the vast majority of shops recognisable brands.

Having the same chain stores everywhere is convenient and fulfils one’s needs on some level, but as we all know, bland and boring too. People lose their sense of adventure without knowing potential alternatives; they pass on what could be a fabulous lunch for a mediocre but reliable chain feed. In addition it’s been proven that chains make it harder for a local, independent shop to start up and become successful.

A few weeks back I visited Portland, Maine, where they have created a zone covering most of the inner city that does not allow chains. Any company that has more than two branches elsewhere in the US may not open a shop in the centre.


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The result is amazing. The centre is filled with unique and independent stores that are a pleasure to browse around – art galleries, boutique clothing, individual bars, restaurants, cafes, greengrocers – all charming and most that you will not find anywhere else in the US.

Imagine if we did the same in Kentish Town. Kentish Town Road could be zoned from, say, Camden Gardens to Fortess Walk including side roads. Shops would be filled by small independent businesses supplying products and services not found anywhere else. Kentish Town would become a one of a kind place in London drawing in people from all over.

Many of our high street outlets would stay: Earth, Phoenicia, Harry’s Fine Foods, the various fruit, vegetable & flower stands, Owl Book Shop, Mike & E. Mono, Kentish Canteen, Pane Vino, Tolli, Doppio, Flaxon Ptootch – we already have unique shops and restaurants. But what if we had more of these and less of the chain variety? One great local pharmacy and not a Boots or Superdrug?

What if we filled those empty shop fronts with designers from Spitalfields or Portobello and market style wares from Camden Town? The word would spread. People would come to Kentish Town to buy something distinctive and one of a kind. We could become a destination. A place where we would all be prouder to live.

Granted, implementation would not be easy. I can already see the legal issues and shop landlord revolt – those chains probably pay high rents. Initially supply and demand may cause rents to decrease allowing independent shop owners to start-up but longer term the area would become more valuable as a result. Chains who own their premises would be another hurdle altogether.

How many other branches should we allow a company to have elsewhere? None? Two? Five? This is an important decision that would affect the final outcome. None would ensure originality, but would also prevent creative businesses such as Pizza East setting up shop, whereas a low but greater-than-zero number would not. Should we make an exception for banks? What about estate agents?

It’s certainly a tricky one. And please note this is not an attack on chains, capitalism or globalisation. I simply have the desire to keep Kentish Town a special place. (I’m not even going to bring up the car-free zones they had in Portland – but how nice would it be to cobblestone Kentish Town Road and make it pedestrian only.)

So Kentishtowners, what do you think of chain-free KT? Is it pie-in-the-sky, or is there any way this could realistically happen in NW5?

Words: Dennis Peper.
Dennis is an IT Network Engineer and has lived in KT since February.


33 thoughts on “Why It Matters: Could K-Town Become Chain-Free?”

  1. I love the independent shops and cafes in Kentish Town, and lament their demise whenever a place shuts down. I don’t mind the odd chain shop, like Boots, and was very sad when Woolworth went into receivership. Those shops have a wide variety of products, which are tried and tested. The problem is that products we need in the area are still not being provided, like a decent clothes and shoe shop. There doesn’t seem to be any research into what the area needs when a new business moves in. Why on earth do we now have a glut of cafes? The other plague threatening the diversity and charm on our high streets are the Realtors. They certainly don’t seem to be on hard times, and it’s a slap in the face to see them thriving, while everyone else struggles to stay in business. I am happy to see that a few markets are making their way into the mix, and am happy to report that my market, The Dandy Lion Market will be relaunching in Kentish Town, just a couple blocks from where I live, in The Oxford. It will bring something different to the area, alongside the Abbey Sunday Market, providing an outlet for aspiring makers and traders, and an alternative to the theme park of mass produced products that Camden Market has become.

  2. Lovely idea but I can’t see the sheer number of chain stores already in Kentish Town allowing themselves to be moved on. Perhaps Tufnell Park would be a more realistic location for such an exercise?

  3. Pedestrianising Kentish Town Road – that would not be nice – it would cause chaos!

    Some of the other ideas are good but why ruin the article by suggesting something completely impractical? KTR is a main road, there are no nearby alternatives down which to divert traffic. It is served by 4 bus routes which bring people INTO Kentish Town – where would they go? How would the non-chain stores receive deliveries?

    The canopy area is not fully utilised and does seem to have reverted to its old ways of a drunks hangout. Regis Road is relatively quite at the weekends, maybe there is scope around there for a street market or take over a little corner of the UPS depot car park from time to time.

    Finally, it would be nice if Camden council did something to force the developers to actually finish the frontage to the Tally Ho apartment building. Maybe if that was done that space could also be used for a small market/art expo/film showings/pop up restaurant etc . . . It would also look infinitely better and probably improve the insulation of the building and the flats above.

  4. PrinceOfWalesDaniel

    In my opinion it’s pie-in-the-sky. The high street is very long, full of rather small units and we live in the Internet age. The idea that you can have one independent shop after another is utopian; the existing ones struggle as it is.

    There’s also something a little dictatorial in the idea. There are plenty of people who want to use Costa, Boots, Superdrug et al. There’s nothing wrong with making the choice to use a chain store even if others don’t like it. They employ people, they provide a service, they help keep our High St occupied.

    I think a bigger problem is the lack of variety. Too many cafes / estate agents / food retailers. Not enough clothes stores. So, for example, and purely theoretically, if Gap decided to move into the Tally Ho space, I would be delighted. Some vocal locals would no doubt kick up a fuss (how dare they? I don’t want to see it so I’m happy to deny others in Kentish Town the chance to use it), but it would add variety, employment, choice and life to the area.

    Ultimately, having a mixture is the logical and fairest solution. And Kentish Town is not being overrun by chain stores yet or any time in the near future; anyone who suggests otherwise is scare-mongering.

  5. It’s not a bad idea forbidding chains. It strikes directly at the business model of the major freeholders on moderately successfully high streets like Kentish Town Road. Consider the expensive work completed to make possible the double-fronted Costa Coffee unit. That was a major effort justified by a tenancy agreement with a chain.

    The fact that good ideas attract opposition doesn’t make them less good. I’d support the proposal with other safeguards in place to stop the street becoming a desert for folk who are skint. There are good deals in independents and in chains. Somerfield or the Co-op has good deals. Earth and Phoenicia are great but pricey, tho Phoenicia has terrific deals at the meat counter for kofta and marinated fish.

    One needs to be wary of too much chi-chi, which of course favours the freeholder again – see the marvels of super-expensive Marylebone High Street. KT Rd is a complicated balance of interests. Its scuzzier aspects are not necessarily bad but part of a subtle equilibrium.

    The apparently less successful parts – north onto Fortess Rd and south below PoW Rd – are a big part of the story, allowing new independents to get a toe hold. That’s what a neighbourhood should provide for the entrepreneurial – a possibility of a start. This is part of the argument against out-of-town versions of shopping for the town or suburb dweller: it favours the established business and diverts customers from new businesses which might be able to set up on conventional high streets.

    What’s great about the Portland idea which KentishTowner reports on is it seems to offer a political idea that Councillors could run with. Let’s see.

  6. Whilst areas with purely independent shops, like say Stoke Newington, are lovely to have a stroll around on a weekend, they aren’t always the most practical.

    If we’re all honest, Poundstretcher has come in handy on more than one occasion. If I had to buy my food from Earth Organic foods, I would probably be bankrupt within a month. And cobbling the high street which is such a busy connecting road is flight of whimsy.

  7. I have very strong doubts about the mertis of this proposal. I live in north Kentish town, a couple of blocks away from Fortess Rd, which for many years was in decline, with many shops boarded up. There were no chain stores. Then a few years ago a local Sainsbury’s store opened and suddenly there was a big increase in trade, as it acted as a magnet for people to come into the area to shop. The a whole series of small shops opened – e.g. a fantastic greengrocer, a bookshop, an ice-cream parlour, and the area is now thriving. If Sainsbury’s had been refused planning permission none of this would have happened. There are no other large chain stores.

    Another factor that helped is the availability of on-street parking and places to lock up cycles. A ban on traffic would not help trade or traders.

  8. Supermarkets tend to actually take away jobs from an area, in terms of the number of people employed in a retail space – especially given the number of ‘DIY’ tills.
    But surely a successful High St should reflect what the community needs, and also involve plenty of choice, to enable consumers to get the best deal. Whole Earth is great, and sells some items, for example yoghurt, cheaper than the supermarkets. But three quid for a loaf of bread is a robbery, we also need to have a Greggs franchise (which provides jobs for local people). Similarly Chicken Shack might be great if you want to impress a visitor from Shoreditch, but equally important is the local institution Sam’s Chicken. Kentish Town thrives because its got a diverse high st, that can provide what everyone needs whether they live in million pound houses or council estates, and we have our own character based on a great history – not trying to become Brick Lane or Hampstead High St.

    Regarding cars, wasn’t there an article on Ace Sports here last week with Nick saying that the turning point for his local, independent, business was when Camden introduced Controlled Parking Zones, making it harder for motorists to access his shop?

  9. What about getting rid of the council house tenants while you’re at it? Surely they lower “your” tone?
    As for the shopping issue, I’m sure that my wonderful mother ( and many others ) would be so pleased to pay through the nose for their bits and pieces so that you may have your middle-class enclave.

  10. I largely agree with Tim, I think the KTR is starting to get a decent mix of chain and independent. It does sadden me slightly whenever I see people buying a coffee from Costa or Pret, rather than somewhere like Bean About Town or Arancini. Fair enough if they prefer the coffee, but I suspect usually it’s people sticking to a known brand.

    I’m also a little bit surprised as to how quite so many convenience stores can survive on one road.

    Two things I think we could do with are a decent independent off-licence / wine shop and a bakery.

  11. Isn’t the Owl part of Daunt books now, and there’s another Mike somewhere further north. The Bengal Lancer’s gone a bit off the boil now but even back in its fruit curry heyday it was part of a restaurant group and Gaunabana and Bintang make up a tiny chain all of their own. There are already six Bean About Towns. I’m glad we still have an Oddbins and I’m hoping that Arancini and Kentish Canteen can build on their successes with more branches.

    Chains are fine. It’s what they do that’s important.

  12. Dennis, you crazy, free-sprited dude: back away from the mushrooms and listen to Gerry’s understandably grumpy response. The foundations of Kentish Town are not exclusive or chi-chi or desperate for validation via an influx of visitors from other ‘cool’ areas of the city. It is a wonderful, deranged and accepting mix of folks from all backgrounds and all ages..in the excitement of moving to this magical part of town, I think you’ve yet to notice that older people and small children feature heavily, as well as rather a disproportionate number of people with mental health and dependency problems (many kept safe and secure under the covered area, though sadly letting the side down in terms of bringing revenue to the now frantically upcoming NW5 area.)
    Permission to buy Shipham’s paste in Poundstretcher followed by lunch at Arancini, Sir.
    PS welcome to Kentish Town.

    1. Hello Gerry and fionasant, thanks for your thoughts. I agree the mix of people from all backgrounds and all ages is what makes Kentish Town the special place that it is. The intention of this idea is not to create a high street that is expensive and stops catering to all. I don’t think making everything independent would suddenly make everything ridiculously expensive.

      New shops that are priced too high for the local market will go out of business. The mix of independent shops we have now reflects this. Although Poundstretcher will not be supplying your Shipham’s paste another independent retailer would because there is a demand for it. And along with Shipham’s paste you may get a selection of others which you had not tried before. The new shop will be owned and run by local Kentish Towners keeping proceeds local. Surely this would be a good thing for the area?

  13. I’ve always thought Camden Parkway should offer space for successful Camden Market start-ups to take their first serious retail steps, allowing new independents to get a look-in – as tom suggests a town should.

    I hear the arguments about affordability and agree about the need for balance in KT but in terms of pure community spirit it’s hard to get emotionally attached to a chain which is more machine than shop/cafe. Totnes in Devon is currently trying to block Costa moving in – and though I don’t for one second suggest we should model ourselves on a completely different kind of town with a different spirit and heritage, it’s worth pondering what the Costa PRs actually mean when they promise to ‘add vibrancy’. Hmm. Totnes’s battle also shows you have to stop anonymity arriving rather than try to kick it out once it has arrived.

    Presumably the catch 22 is that big retailers want a piece of successful local high streets – so we need to get canny as a community and do what we can to retain a balance that suits. Surely if we want a clothes store we can do better than Gap. Does it come down to having the confidence, as well as the right rents, to shape the place we live as we would like it to be?

    Thanks for the hought-provoking article – but spare us the cobbles. KT’s not a theme park!

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/aug/15/totnes-war-global-capitalism?INTCMP=SRCH

    1. Thanks for the interesting link about Totnes. Perhaps we could create a KT-pound? I need to be careful here or I might be told to back away from the mushrooms again. 🙂

      I agree with you regarding the questionable idea of Costa adding vibrancy. It is exactly this which the chain free intention is meant to counteract.

  14. Wow. It’s very interesting to me that ALL of you apparently read “independent shop” as expensive, chi chi, middle class & not catering to children or elderly. I read it as “independent shop” which to me means not a massive chain and/or having some sort of individuality.

    I don’t think we need to look much further than our very own Kentish Town Road to see some examples of such businesses. How about any one of the many cafes you all seem to have such a problem with? They’re, from what I can tell, independent. How about the amazing DIY shop up at the top end of the street, run by a local family, full, literally to the rafters, with everything I have needed for my renovation of my flat, and a hell of a lot cheaper that the leyland. How about all those local off license/green grocers that line the sides of the road with fresh (and cheap) fruit and veg? I don’t see how chain = cheap, or how it has to… I get my coffee at doppio not costa because doppio is better AND CHEAPER. I get my sandwich for lunch at Tolli and when I’m feeling skint, save the second half of the massive thing for dinner. Flaxton patootch is the cheapest hairdresser on the street, morgan’s stationary (not that I’m sure it’s not a chain) is a heck of a lot cheaper than ryman.

    And PrinceofWalesDaniel you speak as though an independent shop would somehow not provide jobs which I just don’t understand. Independent shops could also employ people, provide a service and keep our high street occupied. If anything it might be better for the local community as more of the money might stay in the local area as people do tend to run shops in their local area so by supporting them you’d be supporting the area. Personally it makes me feel good when I shop at an independent store, knowing that I’ll be helping pay someone’s mortgage or for their kids piano lessons and not just lining the pockets of some giant corporation that’s probably dodging their taxes in this country anyway.

    Aside from all that, this has to be the nastiest tone of comments I’ve ever seen on this site. The pedestrianizing the road was a quite literally written as an aside and not a main point but so many have harped on it. People are throwing this guy to the dogs for what I think is a great idea because they want to do their weekly shop at the co-op, but the article asked those questions, what chains would be allowed? how many other branches would be the limit – I think it’s pretty obvious Owl Books wasn’t the target.

    So join in the conversation people, don’t just start yelling and calling someone “middle class” just because they have an idea – as a matter of fact it’s exactly the same idea I put on my card for the council consultation for how to make kentish town road better. And maybe it’s because I haven’t lived here forever, or maybe because I’m not from this country. But it strikes me a odd, and a bit sad, when I go tot visit other towns in the UK and they all look exactly the same.

    1. Yelling and calling someone middle-class? Really no need when we have, I feel good about helping pay for kid’s piano lessons. Not much further comment needed.

    2. PrinceOfWalesDaniel

      Hi April, at no point does my logic suggest that independent shops don’t do all those things. Of course they do. And I love using them. But it’s not the kind of High Street that can sustain just independent stores. Which is fine. There’s nothing wrong with a balance of both.

  15. It’s for having a forum for spirited debates such as these that I love Kentishtowner. Fascinating to read everyone’s points on this one. I think we have a great ratio of chain:independent and it’s that delicate balance that allows room for most people’s needs, supporting the wonderful diversity that makes Kentish Town so great. I do hope the area continues to lean more towards independent businesses, but the odd chain certainly has its place.

  16. Just another point from the Ace sports shop interview – the reason they moved in Kentish Town road is that the landlord put up the rent for the prime, opposite-tube site. Pret a Manger could afford the new rent, Ace couldn’t.

  17. A very spirited debate indeed! And interesting to see what we thought was a fairly impractical, light-hearted idea being taken so seriously by some people. We’re also surprised no-one’s mentioned Queen’s Crescent as an example of a street of excellent, cheap-as-chips independent food shops and stalls with not an ounce of middle class pretension between them. And they’re all worth supporting at the expense of any nearby supermarket (such as Nisa) aren’t they?

  18. Thanks everyone for all of your responses. It has been very interesting reading the varied opinions.

    Some think it is a great idea, some have reservations but would support it with safeguards and others think it is a ridiculous idea that would disenfranchise many in the area.

    I guess the question now is, where to from here? Pie-in-the-sky nice thought but too many downsides and not worth even thinking about. Or, potential idea that could transform the way people live and work for the greater good of our community?

    Like Natalie I have no idea where one would begin to get this setup. Perhaps, as April mentioned, the council consultation card is the way to go.

  19. Surely we all love the independent shops and the sheer amount of them? I can’t see anyone complaining about them; there are so many we have the luxury of slightly taking them for granted.
    Dennis, your idea was wildly inspired and utterly barmy to my mind (a mind possibly addled by Shipham’s paste, possibly worse than mushrooms) I hope you don’t feel thrown to the dogs; I think your enthusiasm for the place is exemplary. I will make no further mention of the cobbles idea :o)
    But there are so many people here with differing needs and the dutiful citizen in me is always going favour Poundstretcher (childrens’ toys, pet stuff, cheap storage, staff who are part of the community) over a Shoreditch designer…the non-dutiful me would bulldoze whatever it took to have a cinema.
    I’ve a suspicion that KT finds it’s own natural balance, whatever we choose to get our knickers in a twist over. I love that we’re all so bothered.

  20. This is such a great idea. How do we get started in putting some plans / petitions in place? As consumers we all have a choice, and to be supporting independent businesses in times like these is not only inspiring, but also essential.

  21. Thanks Fiona and Emily for your comments. A cinema, now that is a great idea! 🙂 I honestly have no idea how to get it started. I was hoping that a fellow Kentish Towner reader may know.

Leave a Comment

33 thoughts on “Why It Matters: Could K-Town Become Chain-Free?”

  1. I love the independent shops and cafes in Kentish Town, and lament their demise whenever a place shuts down. I don’t mind the odd chain shop, like Boots, and was very sad when Woolworth went into receivership. Those shops have a wide variety of products, which are tried and tested. The problem is that products we need in the area are still not being provided, like a decent clothes and shoe shop. There doesn’t seem to be any research into what the area needs when a new business moves in. Why on earth do we now have a glut of cafes? The other plague threatening the diversity and charm on our high streets are the Realtors. They certainly don’t seem to be on hard times, and it’s a slap in the face to see them thriving, while everyone else struggles to stay in business. I am happy to see that a few markets are making their way into the mix, and am happy to report that my market, The Dandy Lion Market will be relaunching in Kentish Town, just a couple blocks from where I live, in The Oxford. It will bring something different to the area, alongside the Abbey Sunday Market, providing an outlet for aspiring makers and traders, and an alternative to the theme park of mass produced products that Camden Market has become.

  2. Lovely idea but I can’t see the sheer number of chain stores already in Kentish Town allowing themselves to be moved on. Perhaps Tufnell Park would be a more realistic location for such an exercise?

  3. Pedestrianising Kentish Town Road – that would not be nice – it would cause chaos!

    Some of the other ideas are good but why ruin the article by suggesting something completely impractical? KTR is a main road, there are no nearby alternatives down which to divert traffic. It is served by 4 bus routes which bring people INTO Kentish Town – where would they go? How would the non-chain stores receive deliveries?

    The canopy area is not fully utilised and does seem to have reverted to its old ways of a drunks hangout. Regis Road is relatively quite at the weekends, maybe there is scope around there for a street market or take over a little corner of the UPS depot car park from time to time.

    Finally, it would be nice if Camden council did something to force the developers to actually finish the frontage to the Tally Ho apartment building. Maybe if that was done that space could also be used for a small market/art expo/film showings/pop up restaurant etc . . . It would also look infinitely better and probably improve the insulation of the building and the flats above.

  4. PrinceOfWalesDaniel

    In my opinion it’s pie-in-the-sky. The high street is very long, full of rather small units and we live in the Internet age. The idea that you can have one independent shop after another is utopian; the existing ones struggle as it is.

    There’s also something a little dictatorial in the idea. There are plenty of people who want to use Costa, Boots, Superdrug et al. There’s nothing wrong with making the choice to use a chain store even if others don’t like it. They employ people, they provide a service, they help keep our High St occupied.

    I think a bigger problem is the lack of variety. Too many cafes / estate agents / food retailers. Not enough clothes stores. So, for example, and purely theoretically, if Gap decided to move into the Tally Ho space, I would be delighted. Some vocal locals would no doubt kick up a fuss (how dare they? I don’t want to see it so I’m happy to deny others in Kentish Town the chance to use it), but it would add variety, employment, choice and life to the area.

    Ultimately, having a mixture is the logical and fairest solution. And Kentish Town is not being overrun by chain stores yet or any time in the near future; anyone who suggests otherwise is scare-mongering.

  5. It’s not a bad idea forbidding chains. It strikes directly at the business model of the major freeholders on moderately successfully high streets like Kentish Town Road. Consider the expensive work completed to make possible the double-fronted Costa Coffee unit. That was a major effort justified by a tenancy agreement with a chain.

    The fact that good ideas attract opposition doesn’t make them less good. I’d support the proposal with other safeguards in place to stop the street becoming a desert for folk who are skint. There are good deals in independents and in chains. Somerfield or the Co-op has good deals. Earth and Phoenicia are great but pricey, tho Phoenicia has terrific deals at the meat counter for kofta and marinated fish.

    One needs to be wary of too much chi-chi, which of course favours the freeholder again – see the marvels of super-expensive Marylebone High Street. KT Rd is a complicated balance of interests. Its scuzzier aspects are not necessarily bad but part of a subtle equilibrium.

    The apparently less successful parts – north onto Fortess Rd and south below PoW Rd – are a big part of the story, allowing new independents to get a toe hold. That’s what a neighbourhood should provide for the entrepreneurial – a possibility of a start. This is part of the argument against out-of-town versions of shopping for the town or suburb dweller: it favours the established business and diverts customers from new businesses which might be able to set up on conventional high streets.

    What’s great about the Portland idea which KentishTowner reports on is it seems to offer a political idea that Councillors could run with. Let’s see.

  6. Whilst areas with purely independent shops, like say Stoke Newington, are lovely to have a stroll around on a weekend, they aren’t always the most practical.

    If we’re all honest, Poundstretcher has come in handy on more than one occasion. If I had to buy my food from Earth Organic foods, I would probably be bankrupt within a month. And cobbling the high street which is such a busy connecting road is flight of whimsy.

  7. I have very strong doubts about the mertis of this proposal. I live in north Kentish town, a couple of blocks away from Fortess Rd, which for many years was in decline, with many shops boarded up. There were no chain stores. Then a few years ago a local Sainsbury’s store opened and suddenly there was a big increase in trade, as it acted as a magnet for people to come into the area to shop. The a whole series of small shops opened – e.g. a fantastic greengrocer, a bookshop, an ice-cream parlour, and the area is now thriving. If Sainsbury’s had been refused planning permission none of this would have happened. There are no other large chain stores.

    Another factor that helped is the availability of on-street parking and places to lock up cycles. A ban on traffic would not help trade or traders.

  8. Supermarkets tend to actually take away jobs from an area, in terms of the number of people employed in a retail space – especially given the number of ‘DIY’ tills.
    But surely a successful High St should reflect what the community needs, and also involve plenty of choice, to enable consumers to get the best deal. Whole Earth is great, and sells some items, for example yoghurt, cheaper than the supermarkets. But three quid for a loaf of bread is a robbery, we also need to have a Greggs franchise (which provides jobs for local people). Similarly Chicken Shack might be great if you want to impress a visitor from Shoreditch, but equally important is the local institution Sam’s Chicken. Kentish Town thrives because its got a diverse high st, that can provide what everyone needs whether they live in million pound houses or council estates, and we have our own character based on a great history – not trying to become Brick Lane or Hampstead High St.

    Regarding cars, wasn’t there an article on Ace Sports here last week with Nick saying that the turning point for his local, independent, business was when Camden introduced Controlled Parking Zones, making it harder for motorists to access his shop?

  9. What about getting rid of the council house tenants while you’re at it? Surely they lower “your” tone?
    As for the shopping issue, I’m sure that my wonderful mother ( and many others ) would be so pleased to pay through the nose for their bits and pieces so that you may have your middle-class enclave.

  10. I largely agree with Tim, I think the KTR is starting to get a decent mix of chain and independent. It does sadden me slightly whenever I see people buying a coffee from Costa or Pret, rather than somewhere like Bean About Town or Arancini. Fair enough if they prefer the coffee, but I suspect usually it’s people sticking to a known brand.

    I’m also a little bit surprised as to how quite so many convenience stores can survive on one road.

    Two things I think we could do with are a decent independent off-licence / wine shop and a bakery.

  11. Isn’t the Owl part of Daunt books now, and there’s another Mike somewhere further north. The Bengal Lancer’s gone a bit off the boil now but even back in its fruit curry heyday it was part of a restaurant group and Gaunabana and Bintang make up a tiny chain all of their own. There are already six Bean About Towns. I’m glad we still have an Oddbins and I’m hoping that Arancini and Kentish Canteen can build on their successes with more branches.

    Chains are fine. It’s what they do that’s important.

  12. Dennis, you crazy, free-sprited dude: back away from the mushrooms and listen to Gerry’s understandably grumpy response. The foundations of Kentish Town are not exclusive or chi-chi or desperate for validation via an influx of visitors from other ‘cool’ areas of the city. It is a wonderful, deranged and accepting mix of folks from all backgrounds and all ages..in the excitement of moving to this magical part of town, I think you’ve yet to notice that older people and small children feature heavily, as well as rather a disproportionate number of people with mental health and dependency problems (many kept safe and secure under the covered area, though sadly letting the side down in terms of bringing revenue to the now frantically upcoming NW5 area.)
    Permission to buy Shipham’s paste in Poundstretcher followed by lunch at Arancini, Sir.
    PS welcome to Kentish Town.

    1. Hello Gerry and fionasant, thanks for your thoughts. I agree the mix of people from all backgrounds and all ages is what makes Kentish Town the special place that it is. The intention of this idea is not to create a high street that is expensive and stops catering to all. I don’t think making everything independent would suddenly make everything ridiculously expensive.

      New shops that are priced too high for the local market will go out of business. The mix of independent shops we have now reflects this. Although Poundstretcher will not be supplying your Shipham’s paste another independent retailer would because there is a demand for it. And along with Shipham’s paste you may get a selection of others which you had not tried before. The new shop will be owned and run by local Kentish Towners keeping proceeds local. Surely this would be a good thing for the area?

  13. I’ve always thought Camden Parkway should offer space for successful Camden Market start-ups to take their first serious retail steps, allowing new independents to get a look-in – as tom suggests a town should.

    I hear the arguments about affordability and agree about the need for balance in KT but in terms of pure community spirit it’s hard to get emotionally attached to a chain which is more machine than shop/cafe. Totnes in Devon is currently trying to block Costa moving in – and though I don’t for one second suggest we should model ourselves on a completely different kind of town with a different spirit and heritage, it’s worth pondering what the Costa PRs actually mean when they promise to ‘add vibrancy’. Hmm. Totnes’s battle also shows you have to stop anonymity arriving rather than try to kick it out once it has arrived.

    Presumably the catch 22 is that big retailers want a piece of successful local high streets – so we need to get canny as a community and do what we can to retain a balance that suits. Surely if we want a clothes store we can do better than Gap. Does it come down to having the confidence, as well as the right rents, to shape the place we live as we would like it to be?

    Thanks for the hought-provoking article – but spare us the cobbles. KT’s not a theme park!

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/aug/15/totnes-war-global-capitalism?INTCMP=SRCH

    1. Thanks for the interesting link about Totnes. Perhaps we could create a KT-pound? I need to be careful here or I might be told to back away from the mushrooms again. 🙂

      I agree with you regarding the questionable idea of Costa adding vibrancy. It is exactly this which the chain free intention is meant to counteract.

  14. Wow. It’s very interesting to me that ALL of you apparently read “independent shop” as expensive, chi chi, middle class & not catering to children or elderly. I read it as “independent shop” which to me means not a massive chain and/or having some sort of individuality.

    I don’t think we need to look much further than our very own Kentish Town Road to see some examples of such businesses. How about any one of the many cafes you all seem to have such a problem with? They’re, from what I can tell, independent. How about the amazing DIY shop up at the top end of the street, run by a local family, full, literally to the rafters, with everything I have needed for my renovation of my flat, and a hell of a lot cheaper that the leyland. How about all those local off license/green grocers that line the sides of the road with fresh (and cheap) fruit and veg? I don’t see how chain = cheap, or how it has to… I get my coffee at doppio not costa because doppio is better AND CHEAPER. I get my sandwich for lunch at Tolli and when I’m feeling skint, save the second half of the massive thing for dinner. Flaxton patootch is the cheapest hairdresser on the street, morgan’s stationary (not that I’m sure it’s not a chain) is a heck of a lot cheaper than ryman.

    And PrinceofWalesDaniel you speak as though an independent shop would somehow not provide jobs which I just don’t understand. Independent shops could also employ people, provide a service and keep our high street occupied. If anything it might be better for the local community as more of the money might stay in the local area as people do tend to run shops in their local area so by supporting them you’d be supporting the area. Personally it makes me feel good when I shop at an independent store, knowing that I’ll be helping pay someone’s mortgage or for their kids piano lessons and not just lining the pockets of some giant corporation that’s probably dodging their taxes in this country anyway.

    Aside from all that, this has to be the nastiest tone of comments I’ve ever seen on this site. The pedestrianizing the road was a quite literally written as an aside and not a main point but so many have harped on it. People are throwing this guy to the dogs for what I think is a great idea because they want to do their weekly shop at the co-op, but the article asked those questions, what chains would be allowed? how many other branches would be the limit – I think it’s pretty obvious Owl Books wasn’t the target.

    So join in the conversation people, don’t just start yelling and calling someone “middle class” just because they have an idea – as a matter of fact it’s exactly the same idea I put on my card for the council consultation for how to make kentish town road better. And maybe it’s because I haven’t lived here forever, or maybe because I’m not from this country. But it strikes me a odd, and a bit sad, when I go tot visit other towns in the UK and they all look exactly the same.

    1. Yelling and calling someone middle-class? Really no need when we have, I feel good about helping pay for kid’s piano lessons. Not much further comment needed.

    2. PrinceOfWalesDaniel

      Hi April, at no point does my logic suggest that independent shops don’t do all those things. Of course they do. And I love using them. But it’s not the kind of High Street that can sustain just independent stores. Which is fine. There’s nothing wrong with a balance of both.

  15. It’s for having a forum for spirited debates such as these that I love Kentishtowner. Fascinating to read everyone’s points on this one. I think we have a great ratio of chain:independent and it’s that delicate balance that allows room for most people’s needs, supporting the wonderful diversity that makes Kentish Town so great. I do hope the area continues to lean more towards independent businesses, but the odd chain certainly has its place.

  16. Just another point from the Ace sports shop interview – the reason they moved in Kentish Town road is that the landlord put up the rent for the prime, opposite-tube site. Pret a Manger could afford the new rent, Ace couldn’t.

  17. A very spirited debate indeed! And interesting to see what we thought was a fairly impractical, light-hearted idea being taken so seriously by some people. We’re also surprised no-one’s mentioned Queen’s Crescent as an example of a street of excellent, cheap-as-chips independent food shops and stalls with not an ounce of middle class pretension between them. And they’re all worth supporting at the expense of any nearby supermarket (such as Nisa) aren’t they?

  18. Thanks everyone for all of your responses. It has been very interesting reading the varied opinions.

    Some think it is a great idea, some have reservations but would support it with safeguards and others think it is a ridiculous idea that would disenfranchise many in the area.

    I guess the question now is, where to from here? Pie-in-the-sky nice thought but too many downsides and not worth even thinking about. Or, potential idea that could transform the way people live and work for the greater good of our community?

    Like Natalie I have no idea where one would begin to get this setup. Perhaps, as April mentioned, the council consultation card is the way to go.

  19. Surely we all love the independent shops and the sheer amount of them? I can’t see anyone complaining about them; there are so many we have the luxury of slightly taking them for granted.
    Dennis, your idea was wildly inspired and utterly barmy to my mind (a mind possibly addled by Shipham’s paste, possibly worse than mushrooms) I hope you don’t feel thrown to the dogs; I think your enthusiasm for the place is exemplary. I will make no further mention of the cobbles idea :o)
    But there are so many people here with differing needs and the dutiful citizen in me is always going favour Poundstretcher (childrens’ toys, pet stuff, cheap storage, staff who are part of the community) over a Shoreditch designer…the non-dutiful me would bulldoze whatever it took to have a cinema.
    I’ve a suspicion that KT finds it’s own natural balance, whatever we choose to get our knickers in a twist over. I love that we’re all so bothered.

  20. This is such a great idea. How do we get started in putting some plans / petitions in place? As consumers we all have a choice, and to be supporting independent businesses in times like these is not only inspiring, but also essential.

  21. Thanks Fiona and Emily for your comments. A cinema, now that is a great idea! 🙂 I honestly have no idea how to get it started. I was hoping that a fellow Kentish Towner reader may know.

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