Store Stories
There’s more than one Camden Road, and notably the one in my lovely home town of Tunbridge Wells in Kent is one that is worth exploring, and as a Tunbridge Wells photographer myself I wanted to create a little personal project about this unique road.
It’s a pretty special road in the that all you will find there is a treasure trove of independent shops, run by some of the most dedicated and hard working folk you will ever find. Friends of mine own and run their own stores, and so I hear first hand about the sheer graft that goes into making a business successful.
Being self employed as I know all too well, is both incredibly rewarding and hard work, but add onto that leasing a shop and all the outgoings like business rates, paying staff and all the other things before you make a profit, then you begin to get and idea of what lengths owners go to in pursuing their dream.
Each store in Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells is uniquely different and has always interested me, so I’ve been planning this project for a while now.
I wanted to choose a handful of stores at random and to shoot a single portrait of the characters that run them, whilst also wanting to find out their personal story and journey that finds them where they are now.
Some of these shops are now sadly long gone, so I feel it’s even more important to document these whenever I can.
So on with the stories, let’s get started…….
The Friendly Fisherman
Andrew Lush and his son Adam (along with Andrew’s wife Patricia) have run The Friendly Fisherman in central Tunbridge Wells for 40 years, having bought their current shop from Andrew’s parents who used to sell leather and sheepskin there.
It’s as a family run business as you could find and is packed with all the fishing kit you could ever need.
Andrew explained to me about how the shop has moved with the times over the years, from a period when products were having to be printed in physical mail order catalogues, to a world of online ordering and social media presence.
Before I photograph an environmental portrait like this it’s so important to listen and to take brief notes before even touching a camera.
Stampede Shoes
A lovely shop that can be found in Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells is Stampede which has been around now for 15 years, and specialises in quality children’s shoes. It’s headed up by Donna Marshall who has been at the helm since it moved to this larger store in Camden Road from the St John’s area.
Donna puts her heart and soul into Stampede, and along with being a member of the Society of Professional Shoe Fitters, wants to make sure that children are being fitted with the most perfect footwear for developing little feet. There are some high street chains that supply badly fitted shoes which can really cause problems for young feet, and so have a store like Stampede at our disposal is surely a great thing and is somewhere that is a must visit for anyone with little people.
As a parent myself we have solely (no pun intended!) used Stampede for our kids shoes for the last 11 years and would’t look anywhere else, and no, I’m not on commission to say that either! Thank you to Donna for taking time out for me to photograph her portrait. >> https://www.stampedeshoes.co.uk/
Gusta
Plenty of coffee places adorn every town I walk into, and Tunbridge Wells is no exception, but very few get it right. These boys get it right. I popped in to chat to Ami (on the left) and Lelio about Gusta which has been running now for many years.
Ami started up Gusta with Leilo’s brother Mirlo, originally having trained as barista’s in their home town of Napoli, they now bring their great skills to Camden Road. Its’s always great to see friends running a successful business together, always a happy welcome and their coffee by the way is superb. >> www.gusta.org.uk
Locality
Something that is a rare sight in a modern high street these days is a quality greengrocer, so when Locality started up many years ago by the folk at Dowingbury Farm it was a welcome sight.
Niall Clarke filled me in on the original ethos when Locality started up, which was primarily to source all their produce from Kent and Sussex which they still do today.
If you like your sleep then look away now! A 3am visit three times a week to New Covent Garden market is the norm, to ensure the best fresh produce and minimum wastage.
So great to see these guys doing well. >> http://www.localitytwells.co.uk/
Rose Stitches
I’m loving this project as every time I visit Camden Road for this portrait photography project I discover new places and get to meet some really interesting folk. All too often we walk into a store, buy stuff, and then leave never knowing about the characters that run them.
Rose Stitches in Tunbridge Wells is one such place run by Ozkan Gul for the last 10 years. Ozkan who is from Turkey, is a tailor and who in the past has worked for big labels including Burberry and Laura Ashley to name a few. His shop is always busy and crammed full of character which is perfect for an environmental portrait like this one.
Velocipede Cycles
As someone who has always had a passion for mountain biking I’ve always loved the feeling of walking into an independent bike shop, and there is always without a doubt something tempting to buy. Velocipede Cycles is definitely such a place.
After mulling over ideas around a camp fire Jack Ward opened up the shop in 2013 and which has been going strong ever since.
Jack and his workshop manager Chris provide a great and friendly service, whilst not only selling a mouth watering choice of bikes and gear (if you’re in the market for a new ride you should definitely check out the stunning Orbea bikes they sell there) , also organise local rides for all abilities which sound like great fun. Do pop in and check them out next time you’re in town. >> http://velocipedecycles.co.uk/
Illuminations
The fine fellow you see here is Jonathan Wright and he has proudly run Illuminations in central Tunbridge Wells with his wife for 30 years.
Their shop is packed with such a huge selection of lighting and also, Jonathan was also proudly keen to tell me that they still sell ‘old school’ light bulbs which are hugely popular with orders coming in from around the world.
The town has seen plenty of changes in 30 years, and like many of the traders I spoke to Jonathan had some ideas how the council could incentivise shoppers more.
Creating more of a ‘cafe culture’ by pedestrianising part of the road was one, or even a 2 hour discounted / free parking slot for shoppers, both of which if carefully implemented, I thought could work well and get increased footfall to the area.
Comfoot and Keys
‘In the 1970’s when stilettos came into fashion, that’s when business here boomed’ Dennis (on the right) explains to me with a twinkle in his eye. He should know, being in the game 56 years and having previously owned Comfoot and Keys for 35 years, Dennis has seen trends come and go. It was back in the day when shoe fashion kicked off in earnest, and before the disposable society we have today (folk had to get things fixed then!) that shoe repair shops like his became in high demand.
Before we started photographing, back in the day Dennis tells me, he wasn’t allowed out the front of the shop to be seen by customers, only the manager in his pressed white shirt and tie, and the smartly dressed staff ladies were permitted to do that!
The reigns have now been passed onto Dennis’s son Jerry (on the left) and who’s son Billy is now heavily involved also, so a real family business. Yes the internet has changed how folk shop, but by diversifying like they have done keeps things ticking over nicely. >> https://www.comfootandkeys.co.uk/en-gb
Dorian Marsh
The longest running hair salon in town? Quite possibly. Always so great to photograph these long running establishments with stories to tell.
Dorian Marsh has been in existence in Tunbridge Wells for well over 50 years, having originated way back when in Goods Station Road. Started up by Doreen (who wanted her name on the salon as Dorian, as she thought it sounded better!) and Queenie Marshall, the premises eventually ended up where they are now in Camden Road about 35 years ago, taking over from a newsagents that used to be there.
The lovely ladies you see here are, from left to right, Carole, the longest serving staff member who started washing hair at Dorian Marsh as a 15 year old, and in fact even today still has the same client visit each week from all that time ago. Rachel, who has been here for 35 years and Jackie for the last 7 years.
Salons like this are sadly disappearing from towns these days. Dorian Marsh has a long and great history and so I was glad to have been able to meet the ladies who have spent their working lives here, and to document such an important part of the town’s history.