"Setting The Brixton Trend"

A review of No.1 Village Bakeries by Ray Palmer written on Sunday 27th of April 2008

Coffee, Bakery or Take-Away

No.1 Village Bakeries has created the latest Contemporary new premises designed to appeal to coffee shop fans. High ceilings, powerful bright colours, natural materials and modern furnishings using a large blackboard to help create the right effect being cosy, homely setting.

The new shop at 1 Granville Arcade, Brixton Market, along Coldharbour Lane, boasts a lovely frontage giving plenty room for outdoor seating, both front of shop and along side, going into the indoor market area, so even if it rains you can stay quite dry outside, with high and low seating breakfast bar style, but being able to watch the huge 50” Plasma Flatscreen TV from anywhere near the shop does help. Hmm!!

Café, takeaway and Retail bakery are the three main zones around which this one off contemporary, open planned shop is designed and organised, all unified by a workable cohesive design image.

“People know that what they get is nice and fresh: they’ll get good bread in their Pattie and Coco-bread Sandwich, for instance, and the Patties are made fresh on the premises.” says Ray Palmer, the owner. It was Ray, who had the great idea of doing this innovative business idea, and starting up this triple aspect food business after acquiring the premises in November 2007.

It had previously been a bakery on and off for over 53 years or so, and was known back hen as one of the best Caribbean Bakeries of it’s time started by the Rye family for over 30 years and was passed on to other members of the same family after the elder brother died.

In the last few years, it was taken over by another Baker and subsequently called Tropical Delight. Finally in June/ July 2007 it closed down. Ray has since, spearheaded his family’s venture into the coffee, bakery and take-away shop trade by opening and running this, their first of potentially many to come, in Brixton, South London.

“Take-Away is our forte.” He explains, “But the trade is changing and we needed to diversify a little bit. If you stick to just baking, I don’t think you’ll last in business for much longer.”

Previously disused premises at Granville Arcade in the heart of Brixton’s Busy Market front area, off Coldharbour Lane, just pass the junction of Atlantic Rd, under the Railway Bridge, through the traffic lights at the Entrance to the well known Market Zone, well known for Location, location, location… for developing this new Caribbean style food emporium. Ha ha

First the shop was stripped to the bare walls to create an open plan feel, one that would allow that feeling of space to sit down, relax. The original shop was actually three separate shops with Claustrophobic, and dark, as natural light was blocked.

According to Ray, “The ambience of this new shop is homely, warm and relaxing.” He has done exactly what was needed without spending x amount of money again in five years time because it’s out of date. Ray’s vision for the project was a lot more modern than the usual take-away, bakery or café. He put his trust in his own experience of trying to find just one good shop that had all three things Integrated to ensure freshness, quality, customer service and darn good food at the cheapest possible prices, like Rice & Peas with Brown-stew Chicken meals from only £3.00 all day long, eat-in or take out, possibly the cheapest in all of London. “Who said dat.?” Ray put a lot of thought and effort into the job.

A wide open – access entrance into the market entrance of the shop, being one of two, beckons customers into the big yellow and white interior. Located to one side are two self-standing display cabinets – one ambient showing pre-wrapped cakes, donuts, yum yums, bun & cheese with the second one being a chiller holding things like Ackee & Salt fish, dumplings, plantain, meatloaf’s, fried snapper fish, chicken, steam veg, bammy and a drinks display Chiller for drinks and our Punches and Juices. Strait in front of you is the Professional Espresso/ Cappuccino Machine, to also lure passers-by in.

A seated Breakfast bar follows the window line all the way from one end of this large shop to the other end. The bakery is totally housed upstairs to be well out of the way of any possible shop floor kayos that may ensue when open for business.

The breakfast bar idea is to encourage customers not to dwell too long inside as the seating is high. This encourages customer rotation, forcing customers to utilise the outside seating, allowing passers-by to come inside and part-take shopping. It is designed to appeal to old and young groups of workers, market shoppers and people with pushchairs & wheelchairs to dine easy and quickly, also those with time to chat, looking for a place to chill-out.

Jamaican Patties with Coco-Bread sales account for about a third of the combined shop sales. The rest being our £3.00 Meal Deals, and our Bread, Bun, Bulla and Cakes, not to mention Punches and home made Juices.

Angled hand made shelves along back wall designed to house all the freshly baked produce to give maximum display, minimum touch, feely by customers.

A creative combination of specialist lighting, new Signage, menu Blackboards and Custom panels bearing our products and prices adds flair and atmosphere to the interior.

Contact Details:

Orders/Bookings

No.1 Village Bakeries

Market Entrance

1 Granville Arcade

Coldharbour Lane

Brixton

SW9 8PR

Phone: 0207 501 8712

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