Just seen this - are we at chain tipping point locally?

[spark67]

Felt a bit sad going In the Ed Deli today, we've used it a lot over the years & always look forward to the easter display, none this year apart from a few eggs & stock run down, with lots of empty shelves. The guy served us said it will probably shut in a a month, you could see he was pretty cut up about it & said it was out of his hands. I'll be sad to see it it go, It was one of the first shops to draw me to the lane when I first moved around here 11 years ago.

[spanglysteve]

I must confess, I liked looking in the ED deli, but I never actually bought anything there. It was always extortionately overpriced. Tins of tomatoes especially used to blow my mind!

[val]

the ham there is very nice

[Ms Blueberry]

Something is very wrong with East Dulwich if ED Deli closes. It is part of our DNA. All surly service is forgiven. We must have access to their brownies. Would a petition help? This must not stand.

[Zebedee Tring]

Part of our DNA? Are you trying to get into Private Eye? Please see my post above re ED Deli Food Standards Agency hygiene rating.

[Louisa]

I guess the EDD is part of the middle- class blow ins DNA, but I remember the second hand shop there before this place and that's always my memory. I keep expecting to see boxes of toys and prams outside when I walk past even today. I say turn it back into a second hand shop, very helpful for me.

Louisa.

[steveo]

Those two shops and flats were up for ?80,000 when I were a lad

[Cyclemonkey]

It's a shame the second hand shop is going - i got a really good bookcase and two chairs there recently.

East Dulwich Deli i can live without. Blackbird do nicer cakes, bread and savouries and Bambuni do better quality and better priced deli items.

[Jeremy]

Which second hand shop is going, CM?

[Mustard]

Jeremy Wrote:

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

> Which second hand shop is going, CM?

The one that I posted about, Furniture Mart, next to Kwik Fit. It's already gone.

[Mustard]

Mustard Wrote:

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

> Noticed today that the Furniture Mart next to Kwik

> Fit has closed down. It was open a couple of days

> ago.

This one.

[Zebedee Tring]

I forgot the other great clich? de nos jours, namely that the ED Deli is a National Treasure (irony alert).

[Penguin68]

A time ago (probably pre-CheeseBlock) the ED Deli was a go-to place, in a reasonably arrid row of other stores, although even then not the only place to get interesting groceries.

However the world has moved on, particularly in LL, and the ED Deli really hasn't. It probably had an opportunity to re-invent itself about 5-10 years ago, but chose not to.

It did stand for an aspirational ED, before its aspirations were realised, and did well when it was (close to) the only game of that type in town.

It's a shame, for purely sentimental reasons based on past near-glories, to see it go, but sentiment butters no retail parsnips.

[Mustard]

The ED Deli arrived quite a few years after the Cheese Block.

[alice]

and always sold to a minority

[Mustard]

I was told that it cost them around ?700k to turn the site into the deli, didn't it sell prams before that?

[nxjen]

It was a second hand shop that always had a large number of buggies on the forecourt. Agree with post that Cheese Block predated ED Deli. There was though another delicatessen a few doors up, possibly where Headnizm is now.

[Mustard]

I used the ED deli very occasionally. Have bought their ham on the bone (excellent), brownies, bits of cheese, sausages, and when they had sales on after Christmas and Easter, a few things.

[Penguin68]

The ED Deli arrived quite a few years after the Cheese Block.

Apologies, you are quite right - I may have been mistaking it for the other deli noted by nxjen. When we first arrived, 26 or so years ago, LL was an arrid desert of second hand pram shops - give or take the excellent Binester etc.

[first mate]

NXjen,yes, that deli was run by two guys from Singapore- Pacer and Philip. The Turkish store opposite used to be owned by A Greek family and that also functioned as a Greek deli.

Old Lordship Lane also had loads of greengrocer stalls and a number of good butchers and bakeries. In my time here the indies have always outweighed chains. If we are going to get more and more chains in, it will change the character of the place- not least garish branding and signage that is favoured by some chains.

[herne hilly]

Its sad to see but its such a huge investment for an independent to open a business can only see it go to a chain, be it waitrose or greggs or any other brand. Can see this place being a restaurant.

Not strictly ED, but was on Denmark Hill today Costa Coffee is opening. Very sad as there are already 5 type coffee shops nearby - all independent ones except Greggs, another next to Greggs and then 3 more across the lights towards Kings.

[alice]

in the little strip in clapham where i buy my morning coffee there are 3 coffee shops - 2 independent, 1 chain.

any predictions about queues?

[Louisa]

I've seen all the signage for Costa Coffee on the planning portal, seems a real shame they'll be coming to Denmark Hill when a Nero and Starbucks in ED are both less than a mile away. Maybe just maybe the EDD site will be taken on by a similar business to the one vacating, however, I'm doubtful. I reckon my dream of a Pret may be slightly closer ;)

Louisa.

[Jakido]

It'd be interesting to see something like this for east dulwich-

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2014/apr/03/new-york-storefronts-what-a-difference-a-decade-makes

[bodsier]

Good post jakido...... Its easy to be shortsighted about shopping habits....