Cool Kids Club/Cafe near Northcote Rd Urgently Needed! Post Reply

[claphamama]

A place we love is Under the Greenwood tree in Clapham Common. Coffees and Cakes are great, staff is super friendly (my friend arrived 15 minutes before they were due to open on a Saturday morning and when they saw her outside with the kids in the cold they let her in while they were starting the set up and get ready for the day! And they didn't even know her, was her first visit to the cafe). They do activities over school hol and half terms and story time on Saturday morning.
We used to visit EPL often too esp on Saturday, so gutted it won't be opened at weekends anymore!

[SLP]

Thanks so much for this tip-off 'claphamama' http://www.underthegreenwoodtree.co.uk
Looks lovely. Heading there this pm to check it out!
SLP

[SLP]

If anyone cares to join (see above post)

Weather permitting!

SLP

[eddiecatz]

Guys I fully support Eat Pray Love and also Inma's comments. It's really tough out there and no, Annabel, it's not easy to make a spreadsheet look pretty. It hasn't been since 2009 actually.

I have met the owners of Eat Pray Love and they are great people. I do hope they can make it work. I know - like us - they have invested their money and sweat and tears in something they believed in. I know they face the same challenges as we do in making it work and containing costs. Sometimes it is about breaking even, or just surviving, and I know this only too well.

I had a couple of emails from customers last year attacking us for pricing. One even went so far as to call us "money grabbing disgusting people". I cried. And then my kids cried seeing me cry.

Good luck to Eat Pray Love and please let's all support our local businesses.

Maria J

[Vivtaylorgee]

Zaza 107 is quite right, we are trying to start a community bookshop called Northcote Books. It will be based in the Northcote Library building, and it will be owned by the neighbourhood! We will be selling community shares to raise the start-up money soon, and will need all the help we can get get the word out and raise those funds. We are approaching PTAs, schools, and businesses as well as individuals, we currently have 500 supporters and would love to recruit more. See http://www.northcotebooks.com. Do join us!

It will be professionally run, have a vibrant children's section, and events both for children and for adults, with writers, workshops, children's book clubs and other thrills.Also, we hope, a cafe. It will need your support for it to flourish but it will be pretty wonderful when it does! An article about us has just appeared in Residents Journal.

[Phoenix]

I always found 'It's a Kids Thing' brilliant for this kind of thing. They seem to have a very good and organised formula - no idea how well they do though.

http://www.itsakidsthing.co.uk

Haven't been for ages though. My 3rd is only 2 and we don't seem to have time to go, but with my 1st I couldn't live without these kind of places for a couple of years.

So yes - I agree the need is short lived.

[SLP]

The community bookshop sounds amazing 'Vivtaylorgee'. Good luck and will do everything I can to support the project as I live just around the corner.

Been meaning to check out It's a Kids Thing so thanks for reminder 'Phoenix'!

SLP