How Brixton Village Pioneered London's High-Quality, High-Value Food Scene
Good food for good prices in the middle of London.
OUTLET:
Marriott Traveler
DATE:
October 2, 2017
PROJECT:
Excerpt
In 2009 the Brixton Village Market (originally Granville Arcade) almost became a 10-story condominium tower. The arcade, a fixture in London’s Brixton neighborhood since 1937, had seen better days.
During its heyday in the ’70s, entrepreneurs filled its small stalls, selling Caribbean and African foodstuffs, household goods and clothes. But by 2008, many of the stalls stood empty. The arcade had become a victim of the worldwide recession.
But the Brixton community railed against the possible razing of the arcade, and management responded. It offered a period of free rent to anyone willing to fill its stalls with community-orientated programming and interesting food.