Happy shopping in Queens Road

In the first of a new occasional HOT series, Chris Connelley introduces Shop Talk, in which our HOT Happy Shopper looks at some of the latest retail openings in town.

For a very short period, soon after arriving in town, I taught sociology at the local college. In an attempt to move learning beyond the classroom and to ground understanding of how the discipline works in practice, I took the students out into the town centre to get them talking to traders about the reality of running a small business in Hastings in difficult times.

We chose Queens Road as the location for our research in an exercise that was provocatively titled, ‘Can this street survive?’ And truth be told, back in 2012, that was by no means guaranteed. Vacancies were high, the retail mix was underwhelming, and for most people, Queens Road was little more than the route to Morrisons.

Roll forward a decade, and the situation seems much brighter. There are still empty units, and a fair degree of churn, but the pubs have got better – the arrival of the Brewing Brothers at the Imperial in 2016 was a game changer – and the overall offer is way more eclectic and enticing.

Queens Road now boasts two independent bookshops, one of which doubles up with a phenomenal record store, a cocktail club, a giant vintage clothing mart, a wine merchant with a regular events programme, whilst the vibrant Yard, on neighbouring Waterworks Road, hosts the legendary Half Man! Half Burger! restaurant, along with more than a score of interesting and distinctive artists and maker studios and businesses. Over the summer months it also puts on a popular monthly Saturday outdoor market selling everything from top-of-the range babka to kitsch kitchenware.

Five-a-Day

Existing Queens Road traders have recently been joined by two new businesses, the impressive independent fruiterer and greengrocer Five-a-Day, at number 89, managed by the ebullient Ako, a man on a mission to bring something different to the road. Mindful that it had reached peak haircut- there are upwards of 15 barbers and stylists in a three-block stretch – he took over an empty office unit and rehabilitated it as a fresh produce store, making the nightly return journey to Nine Elms to provide residents with an international selection of fresh fruit and veg.

With competitive prices, and a compelling product mix, Five-a-Day is open long hours, from 8am until 7pm seven days a week, pleasing all of us Down from Londoners used to extended shopping. On my first visit last week, I scored a giant box of  excellent Medjoul dates that will enliven my morning yoghurt for many a day to come for a sum that left me smiling broadly. Ako also caters for those looking for something new and a little different, and to his knowledge is the only provider of soursop in town. It is a new one to me too, with a taste sometimes described as a fusion of banana, pineapple and mango.

And that’s not all. On these scorching summer days, he’s offering super healthy, fruit packed smoothies for just £3.

Paint King

A couple of minutes away, heading out of town towards the Alexandra Park gates, at number 130, another empty site on Queens Road, formerly a decorators office and store, has recently come back into commission as a paint shop. It is the brainchild of Simon March, a Sussex-born philosophy graduate with decades of experience in the paint trade – he has run shops in Waterloo, Dulwich and Clapham – who looks set to become the Paint King of Queens Road.

Recent arrivals from Lewes will recognise his shop’s distinctive ginger livery from that town’s centre, where he previously traded. Attracted by fond memories of visits to the legendary Crypt nightclub in his younger years and his strong feeling that it is an especially lively and ‘active place,’ Simon made the trip east to Hastings earlier this year.

He has been working on the shop for a while now and is easing himself in gently with a soft launch. The brightly coloured glass jars in his windows are suggestive of a traditional candy store, but shoppers looking for a sweet treat will have to go elsewhere, as the sherbert-looking products are in fact alabaster paints.

His open-door approach whilst he completes the refurbishment is already attracting interest from passers-by intrigued by its enticing interior, many of whom pop in to find out more about what he has to offer. This is something he encourages, and he’ll happily share details of what he does with inquisitive shoppers. Indeed, he reckons curiosity is a key plank of his business strategy, as he connects with people looking for distinctive products sold differently to other premium paint brands.

His shop is a corrective to the hushed, slightly beige and often reverential feel of many upmarket interiors stores, asserting its own identity as an exuberant, anarchic and decidedly bold colour laboratory unafraid to venture beyond tame earth tones and pretty pastels.

Simon is open from Thursday through Sunday from 10 and loves to chat. He is a compelling conversationalist and his business is special and unique.

Parkside Sourdough

Our third and final featured business, Parkside Sourdough, is also located close to Queens Road, and after just a few weeks trading is developing a cult appeal amongst residents living close to Alexandra Park, many of whom, myself included, now anticipate Saturday mornings with an extra spring in their step at the prospect of a freshly baked loaf for breakfast.

It is the brainchild of artist and photographer Olli Kellett, a Lower Park resident for the last seven years, who decided to extend his regular weekend family bake and to offer surplus loaves for sale to friends and neighbours.

For one hour only, from 9 to 10 o’clock on Saturday mornings, Olli takes to his driveway with a mix of white (£4) and wholemeal sourdough (£5) that gets snapped up fast. I’ve sampled both, and they are both excellent, with the deliciously flavoursome seeded wholemeal currently taking first prize in my household. And I’m not alone. Demand has been sufficiently robust for Olli to invest in a larger bread oven to ensure that his growing army of customers get their weekly fix.

Parkside Sourdough is a micro venture, delivered with love and passion, serving an immediate local community, and all the better for that. To find out more, check out Parkside_Sourdough on Instagram.

If you are opening a new shop or business and would like to be featured in a future Shop Talk, please get in touch with a short description of where you are and what you do, including a daytime contact number. 

 

Also in: Food & Drink

« Bottle of Hastings: rather a fine vintage
Compost Community hub at Ore Community Centre »