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We are celebrating the fact that Palace Wharf – our new riverside development in Fulham – is finished. We know the apartments themselves are chic, but we decided to investigate what lies on the other side of the doorstep. Who better to tell us what makes Fulham so special than the local business and shop owners that make the area so distinct. 

Artisan Coffee
372 King Street, W6 0RX
http://www.artisancoffee.co.uk/
@artisan_coffee

Interior of Artisan Coffee shop.

We sat down for a flat white with Edwin, one half of the husband and wife team behind this cosy Australian-inspired coffee shop.

Tell us about Artisan…
For Artisan, it’s quite simple. It’s about the quality of the coffee. It’s all about passion and enthusiasm and pride. I want to work in a place that is appreciated not just by Magda and I, but by the community around it.

How did it begin?
Magda and I met at university in Australia. We then ended up in corporate jobs. One day, we went out to a restaurant, drank far too much red wine and talked about our dreams. Literally the next morning we both walked into work and quit.

We decided to live in Uganda, setting up projects with the Liberty Development Foundation. Working hard in stinking heat we were more motivated than we had ever been. Before, we were motivated by the weekends. Now we felt motivated by actually working. Right there and then, we knew we couldn’t go back to big business.

Bizarrely, we were one of the few couples that moved back to England and not to Australia. We chose drizzle and cloud over sunshine and sea.

Sign saying Let's Talk Coffee

Your order?
My favourite drink is a V60 coffee. I’ve also recently tried to cut myself off from our addictive brownies (and failed).

On your days off?
I’m a huge Chelsea supporter, so my favourite local activity has to be going to the football.

Why Fulham?
It’s fantastic being a local business-owner in Fulham. It’s a pocket of independent shops and creative owners being the best they can be.

The Crabtree
Rainville Road, W6 9HA
http://www.thecrabtreew6.co.uk/
@TheCrabtreeW6

In the garden at the Crabtree pub

We sat down with Andy, the new general manager, in the refurbished Crabtree, looking out as rowers take to the Thames for an afternoon session.

Tell us about The Crabtree…
Things are going really well. We are so happy with our recent refurbishment. We decided to reopen at a ‘slump time’ to ease ourselves in before a busy Christmas! I particularly like the new dining room. Before, it was just an extension of the pub, now it’s a dedicated area for a cosy and intimate meal.  

What else is new?
Our head chef has been here since May and he’s great. He’s added loads of inventive dishes to our winter menu. We love changing our menus to include loads of seasonal dishes.

Exterior shot of The Crabtree pub

Your tipple?  
My drink of choice? I’m very versatile. That being said, I really like a nice glass of red wine.

Perks of the job?
I love being so close to the river. That’s definitely one of my favourite things about the local area. Also, I get to be one of the few London pub managers who feels like they work in a quiet locale. Our busiest weekend is definitely the Oxford-Cambridge boat race in April. We get bands in, a couple of DJs – it’s almost like a mini festival with pop-up food stalls and bars. We make a spectacle of it!

Nomad Books
781 Fulham Road, SW6 5HA
https://nomadbooks.co.uk/
@nomadbooks

Exterior shot of Nomad Books on Fulham Rd

We spoke to Harriet, Nomad’s owner, who has been running the business since 1990. Harriet is flecked with glitter from an afternoon of unpacking Christmas decorations.

27 years running – what has changed?

Fulham has changed loads in Nomad’s time and we’ve changed with it. As more families moved to the area we expanded our range of children’s books. My own children love Nomad but over the years they’ve said things like “Mum, can’t we turn Nomad into a pet shop?”

What makes Nomad special?
We have always focused on knowing what our customers like, suggesting things to them, and listening to what they are asking for. We print recommendations from customers on bookmarks and we process customer orders very fast – within 24 hours.

Why Fulham?
I love the village-y feel of Fulham. There are so many nice food shops and then lovely places like Indian Summer. Lots of people just know each other, it’s a very comforting thing: seeing people in the street and just being able to say ‘hi’.

Harriet, owner of Nomad

Treasured memories?
We’ve had so many amazing memories over the years. I think my favourites have to be the Harry Potter book launches. People queuing round the block at midnight waiting for the new book, the atmosphere, the staff all dressed up – it was really amazing.

In the early days, when we really didn’t know what we were doing, we used to have a lot of poker games here after the shop had closed. Those are really happy memories.

Love the décor!
All of our artwork is by Christopher Corr – he designed the bookmarks and the bags. I love his lovely, naïve, things. I did a lot of travelling in India in the early ‘80s and it was in 1986 when I discovered Christopher’s art, and his pictures of India. When I opened the shop, I knew I wanted him to design everything.

Indian Summer
624C Fulham Road, SW6 5RS
http://www.indiansummershop.com/
indiansummershop

Interior shot of the shop Indian Summer

We talk to Ruth – business owner and local mum – about the neon pink-coloured shop brightening up Fulham Road.

Tell us about Indian Summer…
I started Indian Summer after dropping out of university. I came to London unsure of what to do but quickly worked out that I wanted to own my own business and it all happened quite organically after that.

What makes you unique?
We are unique because of our eclectic mix of things. The only thing they have in common is looking at home in Indian Summer! People come in and tell us how happy the shop makes them feel because it’s so colourful.

We love the artwork!
The artwork on the shop front is the work of artist Millie McCallum who was local but has since moved up to Yorkshire. I was obsessed with her work – I have loads of her art at home.

Painting on the window of Indian Summer

Something you love about your customers?
Our customers make us feel really lucky. They’ve become my friends. People leave dogs with us when they go to the doctor’s, they drop their kids in and come back for them – it really is a lovely community. We are just really lucky.

Something your customers might not know?
We did get into the habit of drinking prosecco from mugs at the end of the day – people thought it was tea!

Favourite item?
I’m living in the cashmere ‘Rosie’ jumper. I cannot stop burning the scented candles at home. And the Pom-Pom baskets! I look at them and instantly feel happy.

Vagabond Wines
18-22 Vanston Place, SW6 1AX
http://www.vagabondwines.co.uk/
@VagabondWines

Interior of Vagabond wine
We chat to store manager Henry about choosing a favourite wine – no mean feat when you have a selection of over one hundred to choose from.

Tell us about Vagabond…
It all started in Fulham way back in 2010 (yikes – feeling old) as a wine shop and wine bar with one hundred wines by the glass or sample, our customers can taste a wide variety of wines before choosing a bottle to take home. This grants us the freedom to focus on indie wines — terrific wines that otherwise wouldn’t see the light of day.  

Something your customers might not know?
We are the largest customer for wine dispensing machines in the world. Thoroughly useless factoid, but true.

Favourite drink?
Tough one. Probably the St Joseph (Syrah from Northern Rhone) we just got in from Pierre Gaillard.

Two people drinking wine in Vagabond

Favourite things about your customers?
They know what they like but are always willing to discover something new. This comes in especially handy since we don’t sell the same old wines week in, week out. There is a great local community.  We see the same faces regularly, and we get to know each other.

On days off you…?
Get pizza from Ice & Slice just around the corner, it’s seriously good!

Coming up?
We host a couple of guided tastings each month. Next up, on Weds 6th Dec at 7pm, is Xmas Hits where we’ll taste a variety of amazing wines for the holidays, whether for Christmas dinner or simply a stocking stuffer. We also offer bespoke tastings and group bookings. Oh, and we have a new Christmas Canapé menu for pre-booked events. Yum!