The first stores within a new pop-up high street for Earls Court, West Brompton Crossing, opened this month. The temporary street brings a deli, a rotating community artists/makers space, bike repair shop and café to Lillie Road. The new openings are part of the second phase of the temporary high street, bringing a refreshingly different community parade that offers space at a reduced rent for entrepreneurs and creatives on a rotational basis. The Prince, the latest dining concept by Incipio Group, opened there in November 2017.
West Brompton Crossing is a meanwhile project of the Earls Court Masterplan, driven by ECPL, which is an innovative joint venture between Capital & Counties Properties PLC (Capco) and Transport for London (TfL) that will enable the development of over 26 acres of the Earls Court Masterplan. The Masterplan presents London’s most important development opportunity for the city’s growth, with planning consent for 7,500 new homes, 1 million square foot of commercial space, 7.5 acres of open space and £450 million investment into community benefits.
Whilst plans for the wider Masterplan are realised, West Brompton Crossing has transformed the ground floor of vacant buildings on Lillie Road. The street offers an exciting taste of what is to come with the future redevelopment of Earls Court, thanks to a carefully and thoughtfully curated mix of independent brands and thoughtfully designed spaces.
Independent retail
West Brompton Crossing’s charming, contemporary interiors were designed by Shoreditch-based Waugh Thistleton Architects. The new neighbours of The Prince, which opened in November 2017, include:
- The Crossing – a free community space for local artists, students, designers and businesses. The first tenants are: War & Drobe, a women’s clothing store backed by The Prince’s Trust, Love & Cuts, a boutique swimwear store and Expressions with Art, a fine art gallery
- The Hoarder – the first store for this brand of modern convenience, with proper greengrocer, craft beer, fine cheese, daily bread, seasonal juice and speciality coffee
- Pedal Back Cycling – a second location for the Tooting-based bike repair and maintenance shop with café. Pedal Back Cycling puts the city cyclist at the head of the pack with an emphasis on cool and funky bikes, accessories and sound advice on your bike welfare
- CanDo Coffee – an independent coffee business with a focus on delivering a positive social impact
The Crossing: get in touch!
‘The Crossing’ is a unique retail store at West Brompton Crossing. Created as a space for the local community, it will provide a free permanent pop-up area for local artists, students, designers and businesses.
Dedicated to hosting temporary takeovers and exhibitions, The Crossing aims to allow new local businesses to experience and learn how to promote and sell its products in a supportive and pressure-free environment. The store comes with all amenities provided and free of charge, including electricity, Wi-Fi and water. There will also be a selection of modular furniture available so that each tenant can create their own unique environment in which to showcase their brand.
The big picture
The first phase of the pop-up high street brought a closed pub and five other disused buildings back into temporary use as two bars, four restaurants and a secret pergola garden – now with the roof open for the summer months. Led by Incipio Group, curators of the successful Pergola Paddington Central and Pergola on the Roof, tenants include The Begging Bowl, Patty & Bun and new additions for this summer Coqfighter and Foley’s. The Incipio team has reported that The Prince has been its most successful opening to date, with over 125,000 covers booked so far this year.
Mike Hood, Group Development Director, Earls Court, Capco, commented: “Our ‘first for London’ pop-up high street is full of interesting independent brands and individual work, and we can’t wait to see how the brands we’ve introduced here will be welcomed by Londoners near and far. Our vision for Earls Court is a long-term project; it’s so rewarding for us to be able to create these temporary spaces while wider delivery is underway, so we can start to share the creative vision for this evolving part of London.”
Charlie Gardiner, Director at Incipio Group said of The Prince’s success: “We are thrilled with how popular The Prince has been at West Brompton Crossing. It is proving to be an ideal spot for the brand and we have enjoyed welcoming the Earls Court community and beyond to socialise and soak up the atmosphere with us. We’re looking forward to seeing what the future brings here at this new exciting location.”
Jacob Pover and Michael Mulcahy, The Hoarder, added: “Our new and first home at West Brompton Crossing is the perfect fit for our brand. The Hoarder offers unique and local products, that inject life into the daily shop. With more than 100 fresh items stocked in our shop, we hope the Earls Court community will be amazed by the quality and variety from local producers.”
Nicky and Ria, Pedal Back Cycling, said: “Our new location at West Brompton Crossing is an ideal spot for Pedal Back Cycling. We want to create a welcoming hub for customers to get their bikes fixed or serviced with a coffee, and provide an open workshop that offers honest advice in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. We are committed to developing an inclusive cycling society in West Brompton through our group ride-outs and maintenance classes, and are looking forward to encouraging more female cyclists in and around the Earls Court community to get around the city by bike.”
Nina Kovacevic, founder of War & Drobe, said: “War & Drobe is delighted to be the first tenant at The Crossing. Our garments are proudly handcrafted in London and our ‘local first’ ethic fits well with the community spirit at West Brompton Crossing. The Crossing is a brilliant initiative which allows brands like War & Drobe to have their own pop-up in a supportive and pressure-free environment.”
Discounts for local people
A loyalty card offering discounts and seasonal promotions for locals to West Brompton Crossing will be launched on Saturday 08 September at the Earls Court Project Rooms Quarterly Open Day. Visitors to the Open Day can take part in a variety of family-friendly activities and explore plans for Earls Court through architectural models and video installations. Saturday 8 September, 16-18 Empress Place. 11am-3pm.
The street can be found on 14-26 Lillie Road, moments from West Brompton and Earls Court Underground stations.
