SGR gone upmarket: it's official

dominic · May 2007

From the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2072197,00.html">Gruaniad on house prices</a>. Part of a big article.

"The main drag, Stroud Green Road, is a demotic mixture of Turkish restaurants, Afro-Caribbean hair-product outlets, and fried-chicken takeaways that has got noticeably more prosperous over the past few years. "There's even an upmarket gift shop called Home," says Sue Teddern, 52, who has lived in the area since the late 1980s, and now lives with her partner Edward Crask on Florence Road, a row of late Victorian/early Edwardian terraced homes that runs parallel to Stroud Green Road and would originally have been built for shopkeepers and the lower middle classes. "One of those shops that sell Penguin edition mugs. I'm not sure whether we're ready for that yet." Even here, according to Christopher Charles, a firm of estate agents that has been trading in Finsbury Park for 21 years, prices have quadrupled in the past 10 years, and increased by 20% in the past six months."

Penguin Mugs? "Not sure we're ready". It's hardly fucking Wallpaper magazine...

There's more here too - some interviews with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2072262,00.html">Florence Road</a> residents.

lucky · May 2007

i think the area is definately on the rise, just look at rental prices, it is getting more and more expensive to live here, so out with the people who cant afford to live here any more, and in come the wealthier people who just may want to shop at home and other shops like it.
It is such a good spot, just up the road to crouch end, excellent travelling facilites with oxford circus 10 minutes away on the tube, i am just surprised it has taken so long for the area to start going more upmarket, just as long as i doesnt go too far,

andy · May 2007

It is terrible, gentrification pushing out all the BBC scriptwriters.

dominic · May 2007

I think more of an indication of gentrification is that a couple have moved in to the area with a child called... Atlanta - "they intend to have half the mortgage paid off in five years, an aim made more possible by selling their boat. "

Fulham of the North.

Ewan · May 2007

Yes, I've noticed the property prices rocket in the area. I'd never be able to afford to move here now. Also friends I know who wanted to move to stroud green to rent ended up living in crouch end in terms of 'space for money'.

Lucky is right the transport (night buses for alcoholic town lovers like me are excellent as well) and promixity to crouch end do seem to be the factors that are pulling people in. I foresee that Stroud Green will become 'crouch end with a tube' with the benefit of a park. hopefully it won't get too silly. I wanted to stay in the area and get somewhere with a garden in a couple of years.....may not be possible now thanks to bloody Atlanta!!

lucky · May 2007

one thing though the area is still full of those bloody aweful council estates and the idiots that live in them.
get rid of those and the area would be much nicer.

tosscat · May 2007

Don't they just add to the saladbowl that is SGR lucky?

David · May 2007

council estates are in every pocket of London, they are part of what London is. Embrace it all lucky, all other routes result in something very bland indeed.

tosscat · May 2007

Like Paris!

dominic · May 2007

I live on a council estate. And I'm definitely an idiot.

Salad bowl?

tosscat · May 2007

It's a culturally sensitive version of melting pot supposedly.

lucky · May 2007

sorry dominic, not all people that live on council estates are idiots, i guess there is a certain stigma in this country attached to council estates, i live quite close to a couple and get quite a lot of problems from the people that live in those ones.

Colette · May 2007

Actually I was chatting to the guy who owns Home a few months back (he lives on Albert rd too), and he was saying that they were thinking of moving out of the area, or out of London. He was wondering whether the business was really sustainable in that part of London, and was asking for advice on what other kinds of things they could sell. I was trying to convince him to stick with it, that the area was smartening up. I like Home, penguin mugs and all. I also like the council estates. The only thing I'd actively lose is the White Lion of Mortimer. That place is like the armpit of hell.

tosscat · May 2007

I'd like a cross between Home and Chrysos hardware, but then you'd end up with something like Labour and Wait, and that would never do (especially not the silly opening hours). More, nicer greetings cards would be good, there's a real dearth of lovely greetings cards on SGR.

dominic · May 2007

Lucky - no offence taken. Hell, you should try living on one if you think they are a problem. You don't know the half of it...

If I was cleaning up SGR my 3 priorities would be 1) shut down White Lion 2) Remove the bench across from the White Lion (see previous moany threads from me on this) and 3) get rid of the stinky cows' hoof selling butchers from the PAK end. Gag.

But none of this is that bad - I'm happy enough with Tosscat's salad bowl.

Colette · May 2007

I'm with you on all of those, pretty much, although I might miss the Iggy pop lookalike drunk who hangs out on the bench sometimes. Also can we keep the shops that sell the delicious mangos from pakistan that are wodged between the stinky butchers please.

lucky · May 2007

home is actually quite a cool shop, i eally like the stuff he sells, maybe he just needs to get a bit more variety in what he sells and maybe do some more promotion i think he should stick with it, it does take time to build up a business.
does anyone know how long he has been there?

tosscat · May 2007

Quite a while. Three years?

David · May 2007

I fear the Home owner might be right really. If he was on Upper Street he'd be making a killing, despite another 20 shops next door to him selling the same stuff. Greeting cards is a good idea as it'd get people in the door more frequently. Some select clothing might do that too, but that might be going off piste for something called 'Home'.

Colette · May 2007

Three years at least - certainly as long as I've been on albert rd (errr, so that's 3 years then). I like it too. I suspect he may have decided to tough it out, but I'll ask him next time I pop in, and also mention the greeting cards thing - I think that's a good idea (and they already do good wrapping paper).

tosscat · May 2007

It still amazes me that Paperchase is the destination de choix for the greeting card afficionado.

Liz · May 2007

The nice man in Home has been there for about 5 years - I think that's what he said last time I went in. I've been here for just over 6 years and I've reckon I've bought about 4 or 5 things from there, and I'm pretty much exactly their target market.

matt · May 2007

I like Home though I do think it's a little out of place. We buy gifts for people from there, mainly. We got an amazing garlic press from there, but it was pricey. I'd love to have more money or reason to go in there more often.

Things I'd lose: some of those butchers, fried chicken places, White Lion, World's End and move the recycling bins from outside of Tescos.

Ewan · May 2007

yeah I mostly go to Home to get random gifts for people....and fridge magnets for me e.g. 'do I look like a people person'.....oh and we got a welcome mat from there. If he shakes his stock up and does some market research he should do quite well in the future if the business can wait.

don't think we'll see the back of the butchers and wig world.....I understand women travel from all over london to get their hair products there.

however the white lion must go....these days I cross the road at the zebra crossing as I find it so unpleasant to walk past day in day out.

David · May 2007

I was hoping when Arsenal relocated to Ashburton that the World's End would become ripe for a takeover/revamp as the saturday fans would relocate to The Tollington. This has happened to an extent but some habits die hard. Perhaps in a few seasons the World's End will be forced to search for a different type of customer. Though, it's got to be said, while still not the greatest pub in the world, at least it's not like it used to be on saturdays/midweek games - was pretty nasty then.

matt · May 2007

I actually used to be a regular in the World's End when I first moved to the area/London, some 8 years ago. We used to go to watch the spectacle that is karaoke, every Monday I think it was back then. A real sight to see. I suspect it's the same people still going to sing every week, from what I've seen.

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SGR gone upmarket: it's official

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