On Line
You
can e-mail us at
info@n16mag.com
In this issue
Cover image
Back to Schooldays
Rowson's Comment
Around the Block
News in Brief
Stop the War
Mini-march
Lysistrata Day
Fringe Festival
Straight to the Point
Time to Finnish
Day in the Nick
Starting Over
Readers Letters
Herbal Cleansing
Local Music
Tripping Out
Tippling at the Tup
Property
Housing Matters
Very Testi
Art Happenings
Vietnamese Food
Entertainment
Gardening
Marathon Man
Surfing N16
Man in North Bank
Xword
Page
by Page
1 - 2 - 3 -
4 - 5
6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
11 - 12 - 13 - 14 -15
16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25
26 - 27 - 28 - 29 -30
31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35
36 - 37 - 38 - 39
OnLine Edition
Designed by
The N16 WebWorks
p12
I remember sitting in Parks Café on Church Street, 2 May 1997. The morning was bright and sunny, we had a brand new Labour government, a policeman passed on a push bike (never seen it since!) and I held the keys to the recently vacated ‘Modern Man’ barbershop having just signed the lease. This was the start of a new era, I thought, sipping my coffee.
The next 6 weeks was hard work. The premises had to be gutted and I was working with my builders, quite enjoying smashing the place down. We ate fish & chips and kebabs with filthy fingers and it felt great to be one of the lads. Errol and Brian Jackson (you remember: the friendly greengrocer) used to make fun of me for starting to even walk like a builder, flashing my Romford cleavage (the only one I have). I was nicknamed John.
The idea of Helsinki was to bring a piece of the West
End to the doorstep of Stoke Newington’s busy women. I wanted to make shopping for
clothes easier also by filtering the stock especially for 25-45 year olds. Business was
better than in my wildest dreams and forecasts. After 5 months of opening, Helsinki was
shortlisted for the ‘Best New Store’ by Drapers Record.
Helsinki was not the winner, but the awards ceremony was fun and glamorous and several articles were written about the shop in various publications. I loved every aspect of my work.
I especially enjoyed being part of the community. Helsinki held numerous exhibitions during the Stoke Newington Festivals; Nina Saunders’s talking chairs, Brian Ayling’s oil paintings, surrealist shoes designed by local kids, Jessica Casson’s portraits of local characters. Helsinki also participated in and sponsored Giles Musitanos short films featuring shopkeepers and local personalities. Remember the Church Street version of ‘Perfect Day’?
But now I feel that it is time to move on. Time to find another challenge
and time to learn something new. Church Street needs new blood, new enthusiastic
entrepreneurs to keep the buzz alive. It has been an amazing six years. I have met so many
interesting people, and some of my customers have become good friends. I know every
nutcase in Stoke Newington, I know shoplifters and police alike by their first names.
Since I put the ‘closing down’ sign up people have popped in and said the most wonderful things. I never realised how much Helsinki mattered and how important a part it played in the community.
Thank you to all my customers and everyone who has ever set their foot in the shop. You made it all possible and worthwhile. And a big thank you to N16 magazine for giving me the opportunity to say goodbye properly.
PS. I am not moving out from Stoke Newington. You don’t get rid of me that easily..