Behind closed doors…

London has so many secret corners. Twists and turns and unexpected surprises… Sometimes you turn a corner and are met with a dead end. Or maybe a river. And sometimes you find yourself face to face with a shop front to make your heart ping and eyes twinkle…

London has many faces, but these five shop fronts are windows into the hearts of individuals, who are adored within their communities…and beyond.
My instagram account is packed to the hilt with pictures such as these – they really make me smile. Here are five of my favourites to brighten up your Tuesdays.
Love as always,

 
The Deli Downstairs
211 Victoria Park Road, Victoria Park Village, London, E9 7JN

The Deli Downstairs is a family run business in Victoria Park, Hackney.
They stock a range of fresh, seasonal and organic fruit and vegetables, British and Continental cheeses, pies and sausage rolls. They have organic eggs and milk, locally roasted coffees, artisan breads, pastries and cakes, small-batch jams and chutneys, East end honey, mustards, spices, olive oils and general groceries.

Monocle Cafe
18 Chiltern Street, London, W1U 7QA
Monocle’s little café in Chiltern Street is the place to pick up the latest issue of the magazine and bump into fellow Monocle readers…oh, and they also serve Allpress coffee, Swedish pastries, Italian wine and yummy lunches.

Donovan Bros, Spitalfields
I believe that this signage is still here purely because the locals love it so much. Donovan Bros, the paper bag company, left a while ago… but I wanted to leave in this gorgeous artwork as it evokes feelings and a London moment of a time gone by…

Allpress Coffee
58 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DP
Allpress was established in New Zealand in 1986 when Michael Allpress decided to chase his love of traditional Italian espresso rather than his career as a chef. He built a coffee cart and began serving the largely unfamiliar espresso drinks in a local Auckland market. Very quickly, his obsession with flavour led him to source his own beans and begin roasting coffee.

Pollock’s Toy Museum
1 Scala Street, London W1T 2HL
Pollock’s Toy Museum is a museum and small toy shop housed in two historic buildings in Fitzrovia. It is a collection of mainly Victorian toys, including dolls, teddy bears, tin toys, folk toys, dolls houses, puppet’s, toy theatre’s, toy soldiers and many more!
Pollock’s was originally a shop and printers, dating back to the 1850’s, based in Hoxton, then a poor quarter of London. Benjamin Pollock’s hand printed, constructed and coloured much of the toy theatre material housed in the museum today.
Do you have a favourite London shop front?
Please post it on instagram and tag in #poppyloveslondon so I can see it! I also love regramming my favourites so don’t forget to beep!
Follow