Stoke Newington Church Street is one of the best high streets for independent shops (Image: Getty)
As soon as you step onto Stoke Newington Church Street in East London, it’s clear why locals affectionately call it a village within the capital. Located just between Clissold Park and Abney Park, and with no Tube station nearby, this leafy stretch of Hackney has managed to resist the frantic pace of Central London, and in doing so, it has flourished.
Recently named one of the UK’s best high streets, Stoke Newington Church Street is home to a colourful array of independent businesses, including florists and fishmongers, bakeries, bookshops, and boutiques.
Karen Sims, owner of Know & Love (Image: James Loveday)
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The items are locally made at Know & Love (Image: James Loveday)
The Gothic Revival spire of St Mary’s Church towers above, adding to that rural feel despite its location in the middle of a major city. In December of last year, the street was named one of the best high streets in the UK for independent shopping in a study by American Express and GlobalData, which ranked streets based on the variety and vibrancy of their independent shops, as well as the presence of millennial and Gen Z business owners and Church Street ended up being the only high street in London to make the top five.
According to local historian Amir Dotan, who has spent years researching Stoke Newington’s history, including its retail history, around 90% of businesses on the street are independent. Of roughly 145 businesses, 72 are one-offs with no other outlets, and only a small handful belong to national chains like Gail’s, Nando’s or Whole Foods.
Some of the shops include Kitchen Provisions, Prep, the stylish A+N Other Studio, Evergreen & Outrageous florist, the charming Church Street Bookshop, and clothing store Sonia Taouhid, as well as What Mother Made, a children’s clothing shop, to name just a few. The popular local bakery, Spence Bakery, must not be missed and is a bustling favourite that has been a community staple since 2002.
The street also features delis like Stokey’s Delicatessen and cosy cafés and delicious restaurants like CoffeeKlatch, Rasa N16, fish and chips shop Cod & Brew, Schnitzel Forever, Calong, Escocesa as well as family-run Italian restaurant, Primaveran16. Even the slightly larger businesses like wine merchants, Made in Little France, The Good Egg, Blue Legume and Meat N16, maintain a local feel with only a few locations across the city.
For shop owner Karen Sims, who opened Know & Love in 2019, it’s this deeply local and loyal character that makes the high street so special. Her shop specialises in ethically sourced and locally made gifts, from candles and soaps to ceramics, bags, toys and textiles.
“Locally made is our big thing,” Ms Sims explained. “We sell chocolate from Highbury, herbal tea grown in a Hackney garden, soaps from Stoke Newington, candles from Walthamstow, even incense made in Dalston. If something isn’t local, then it’s sustainable, like products with a Queen’s Award, B Corp certification, or World Fair Trade accreditation. That’s what makes us different, and we’re really proud of it.
“I’ve lived in the area since 1987, so this is my local high street. Opening here felt like the obvious choice. In Hackney and Stoke Newington, the people who live here are really loyal to their area. They’ve got personal pride in being here. Many shopkeepers are longstanding; some have been here for 30 years. People are very keen to support local.”
Church Street’s pedestrian-friendly design reinforces the village feel. A recently installed bus gate has limited through traffic, making weekends quieter and more peaceful. Families cycle, dog walkers roam, and people enjoy leisurely strolls between the two parks while popping into shops along the way.
From independent florists to restaurants and bakeries, the beautiful street has everything you need (Image: Jennifer Pinto)
There are hardly any chains on the street (Image: Getty)
Ms Sims added: “We’ve recently been made a safer neighbourhood area, which means that there’s a bus gate on our road, so it restricts the traffic coming down. On the weekends, it’s really quiet from traffic, and it’s just buses and taxis, and you often see kids skateboarding along the street, lots of parents with kids on bikes, lots of dog walkers, so that’s been really good in promoting the area.
“It’s got a very villagey aspect. There’s a local fishmonger and a butcher, and a bakery that’s very well known and a local one that’s been there for a long time. So it feels a bit villagey and that might be partly to do with the fact that we don’t have a tube station nearby.”
Many people often see change as something negative, but in this case, Ms Sims said it has been positive and community-led: “When I first came here, it was really quite run down.”
Behind the scenes, the independent business owners also support each other. Ms Sims said: “There’s a real camaraderie. We all give each other discounts, and if a local shop owner comes in, you’ll chat to them about how everything’s going. We’ve got a big WhatsApp group with about 120 shops on it that are all talking to each other all the time.”
Even amid rising costs and commercial pressures, the street’s success is due to its strong sense of community, combined with a steady stream of visitors and loyal customers.
“Rents and rates are the biggest headache for most independent owners everywhere”, Ms Sims continued.
“They’re really high. On a street like this where everybody wants to shop on the street, the landlords feel they can charge what they want, so that does make it difficult, but luckily, there’s enough customers to make it worthwhile.”
In a time when many UK high streets are struggling or being overrun by the same high-street chains, Stoke Newington Church Street remains a shining exception, fuelled by loyal locals and shopkeepers who look out for each other.
Ms Sims concluded: “It makes me really proud to be part of it [the high street community] because what the other shops are doing is really hard to do and I’m really proud to be part of all of that and working together and it’s just a joy, personally, to go out on the street and go into other shops that are unique. There are not just high street chains with the same old things in them. I’m very proud to be here.”
Gemma Ridgway and Jack Simpson (Image: Jack Simpson)
Jack Simpson and Gemma Ridgway own Nook on Stoke Newington Church Street, a lifestyle shop. The shop opened in 2012 when they lived locally and felt there was a market for the kind of shop they wanted on their local street.
Jack Simpson told the Express: “Stoke Newington has always been a tricky place to get to, lacking an underground and relying on buses or the overground to get to it. As such, before it seemed like the locals stayed more local, it’s a well-used term, but it does have a village feel, being kind of hard to get to.”
Despite being less accessible, however, Stoke Newington also draws visitors from beyond the local area, thanks to its array of independent shops, cosy cafés, and the appeal of its two nearby parks.
“Now it’s also become more of a destination in its own right with Clissold Park, the cemetery, lots of great cafes, pubs, restaurants and shops where you can spend a whole day. It’s a great street to wander down.”
While many UK high streets are struggling, Stoke Newington Church Street is flourishing thanks to a strong sense of local community and pride. The street beautifully balances long-standing fishmongers, locksmiths, and butchers with stylish cafés, design-led boutiques, and independent lifestyle stores.
Mr Simpson said: “The local community is key. People who live here are proud of the road and like having it so are more inclined to use it. It has a butcher, bakery, fishmongers, greengrocers, a DIY shop and locksmiths so it also retains classic elements as well as shops like ourselves.
“More flexible working patterns particularly since Covid has helped the week to be busier rather than a bigger difference from week to weekend. People can pop out to grab a card, a coffee, work in the cafes and pubs. The units on the street are also smaller making it less attractive to chains, when a business closes its not long before something new is in its place so there are never that many places empty for long.”
When asked what the high street community means to him personally and whether it has changed in recent times, Mr Simpson said: “Having grown up here, I’ve seen a huge amount of change over the years. It’s a constantly evolving street. Being a largely independent street, there’s a strong sense of community between businesses, with most businesses being a part of our business association (SNBA) that puts on things that involve the local area. We have also noticed that there are more foreign tourists, so it’s a street and area that’s definitely on the map.”
Even recent debates over chains moving in like Gail’s Bakery that joined the high street a few months ago show how fiercely locals feel about preserving Church Street’s identity.
He added: “There was a recent outcry over a Gail’s Bakery moving onto the street, but I think people still retain their favourites.”
In contrast to the decline seen elsewhere, Stoke Newington Church Street’s success is proof that independent shops, backed by strong community support, still have a vital role to play.