'Columbia Road of the West' Launches This Week
Hope that Chiswick Flower Market could spur green High Street bounce back
T
|
Already featured in estate agent marketing material, there are high hopes for the potential impact of the Chiswick Flower Market which launches this week.
On Sunday, 6 September and the first Sunday of the month thereafter, what is ambitiously being described as the ‘Columbia Road of the West’ will be taking place on the High Road.
The organisers say it will be the first flower market to be set up in London in 150 years and it is designed to act as a catalyst to revive the local trade, bringing fresh footfall, spending and greenery to the area.
An attempt has been made to carefully curate the market with a mixture of stalls, based around classic market traders. Two of Columbia Road’s own stalwarts are branching out west. Steve Burridge whose family have been selling flowers there for nearly 100 years says, “I want to come because I want to sell more plants! I have a good feeling about this one.”
London House Plants, with her large online following, will also be leaving her original stall in Columbia Road to a family member in order to test the Chiswick waters. Other market traders coming with bedding, annuals, baskets, pots and more include W4Flowers (all the way across the road from outside Sainsbury’s!, Andrew Barker from Osterley and Finest Plants from a little further afield.
Expert specialist growers such as Pepperpot Herbs have been potting on their wide range of thymes, mints and other culinary plants; Chiswick’s Ailand is bringing dramatic structural plants; Jacques Amand is providing a display of bulbs in good time for autumn planting; local horticultural charity Cultivate London is focussing on fruit trees, autumn planting and bulbs; Matt Spratt, aka the Kew Gardener is bringing grasses, bamboos and succulents.
Visitors can fill their arms with cut flowers from local florist Pot Pourri, and from sustainable growers Electric Daisy Flower Farm. Children are catered for with Herboo’s nature boxes.
The Chiswick Flower Market is offering an opportunity for new local businesses to dip their toes in the water with an Innovation Corner. Visitors have a chance to check out new businesses such as Microfoods (growing nutritious edible seedlings near Strand-on-the-Green), PlantBe Studio (designer house plant accessories), Made in Hanwell (funky pots from a little further afield!), Urban Tropicana (tropical houseplants with a twist), and sustainable Lifelike Flowers (moving their studio into Chiswick next week).
Chiswick House will be cutting down the flower miles to a few yards by bringing all the productive beauty of their Kitchen Garden to the Market, and the Chiswick Horticultural and Allotments Society will be available to provide advice.
The Fullers Shire Horses will be attending and there is a rare opportunity to purchase fresh hop bines grown in the nearby Surrey hills.
The Market is determined to provide a safe shopping environment. There will be a one way system, hand sanitisers and distancing advice, and the wearing of masks is strongly recommended within the market area (although it is outdoors which offers protection) with trained volunteers on hand.
The Chiswick Flower Market is committed to creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly space. We prioritise local growers, discourage the use of plastic and peat, and offer free local cargo bike delivery.
Find Articles Like This Useful? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
August 29, 2020
