Farewell Blue Mountain

[alice]

Sad day - loved this place. The first on the block.

[kford]

Didn't it become a rum bar of some sort?

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Rock Steady Lounge or something like that. Is it going? Why?

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I stand corrected, Rock Steady Rum Lounge https://www.rocksteadyrumlounge.com/

[goldilocks]

Website for Rock Steady Rum Lounge seems to indicate recruiting for both sites. How do you know its closing?

[KidKruger]

From memory, the Blue Mountain caf? was the first ?trendy? establishment in the area.

[bob]

Yep Mel was the first to open this coffee shop named after the coffee growing area in Jamaica must be 35 year's ago but not sure.

Bob S

[KidKruger]

Nah it was more like 1993-4, not 1985 !

[first mate]

Grace and Favour, run by Rose, opened up the day after the General Election in 1997. That was the second trendy coffee shop on Northcross, so reckon Mel?s Blue Mountain was a couple of year?s earlier

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

So when/why is it closing?

[JohnL]

East Dulwich Branch Update

TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND FRIENDS IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS AND REGRET THAT ROCK STEADY RUM LOUNGE DULWICH WILL CLOSE ITS DOORS ON THE 26TH JANUARY 2020 THE PAST 3 YEARS HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING, INCREASING COSTS AND REDUCED FOOTFALL COMBINED HAVE CREATED DIFFICULT TRADING CONDITIONS.

THE DECISION TO CLOSE WILL END 26.5 YEARS OF TRADING ON THIS SITE IN EAST DULWICH.

https://www.rocksteadyrumlounge.com/post/east-dulwich-branch-update

[bob]

KK only 9 years out very sad to see them go Bob S

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Sad times.

[nxjen]

bob Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> KK only 9 years out ...

??

[Townleygreen]

I think he mean his estimate of it opening in 1985 was only 9 years out

[Sue]

Pretty sure it was 1991 or 2?

It was just after I moved to East Dulwich.

Very sad to see it go, but I never really understood why it was changed to a rum lounge.

I liked it best in its original incarnation, with several separate quirky little rooms.

[Sue]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> From memory, the Blue Mountain caf? was the first

> ?trendy? establishment in the area.

Yes,it was.

The beginning of the gentrification.

[nxjen]

Townleygreen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think he mean his estimate of it opening in 1985

> was only 9 years out

Thanks, that makes sense

[bob]

Yes that is what I ment Bob S

[Jules-and-Boo]

Gentrification is not about independent coffee shops. I doubt that word had even been used until early 2000s.

It's about the cleansing of an area and making it bland (mainly closing the funky independent places.

[DulwichFox]

Jules-and-Boo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Gentrification is not about independent coffee

> shops. I doubt that word had even been used until

> early 2000s.

>

> It's about the cleansing of an area and making it

> bland (mainly closing the funky independent

> places.

The term gentrification emerged in 1960s London when a German-British sociologist and city planner, Ruth Glass, described the displacement of the poor in London as upper-class people moved in to refurbish houses in previously working-class areas

The term Gentrification dates back to the 14th Century

The Old French word genterise, "of gentle birth" (14th century) and "people of gentle birth" (16th century).

A form of Social Cleansing.

[Rumbero]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I liked it best in its original incarnation, with

> several separate quirky little rooms.

I agree, Sue. Complete with exposed lath and plaster! Became a bit too 'clean and shiny' after the first refurb.

[malumbu]

Loved Grace and Favour - better cakes coffee and prices than BMC (no issues with the latter beyond their cakes, coffee and prices weren't quite as good).

[KidKruger]

bob: "KK only 9 years out"

I don't think I was 9yrs out...

2020 (now) - 26.5 (yrs Blue Mountain was open - according to them, see their post above) = 1993.5

I said "1993-4", so I was actually bang on !!

(makes a change....)

[Rumbero]

Pretty sure Mel had some sort of deli on Peckham Rye near the old Austin's building (late 80s/early 90s?) Probably ten years ahead of its time though!