A Bethnal Green boy stops in front of THE Meat and fish bazar
A boy throws a glance inside the shining lights of Bethnal Green's Fish & Meat Bazar
Local

The humble charms of Bethnal Green’s corner shops [PHOTOESSSAY]

Emilia Randall

Bethnal Green’s abundance of corner shops offer a humble alternative to chain supermarkets. Commuters, residents and school children pop in and out of the colourful shop-fronts enticed by the bright lights and displays of fruit and veg.

As the sun begins to set in Bethnal Green the glow of its corner shops shine into the darkening autumn evening. Red and blue bulbs read “open”, and backlit shop signage lights up the damp pavements as Bethnal Green’s corner shops await their bout of evening commuters. 

Whilst some shops have layered years of national lottery advertisements over each other, others maintain pristine exteriors. However, all are victim of the rise of the vape pen, as old tobacco shelves behind tills make way for loud sweet-like displays of fruit-flavored elf bars. Some shops draw you in with bloated bowls of peppers and bananas and others show signs of their age as pinball machines and signs with swirling typefaces scatter the pavement in front of their shops. 

The culture of “popping to a corner sop” is alive and well in Bethnal Green where there is a dearth of the “Big 5” supermarkets. The lack of big-name supermarkets nearby means people will be in and out of a healthy handful of corner shops around them. Equally, the lack of self-check-out tills means it’s much more likely residents will build a solid rapport with their local corner shop man over time, learning the quirks and ins and outs of what each shop does or doesn’t provide.

In this photo essay, grocery shops, an integral part of the tapestry of Bethnal Green, are documented right before their prime time, in the liminal space between afternoon and evening, when hungry commuters and sweet-toothed school-children flock to their bright lights on their various routes home. 

Star Grocers in Bethnal Green boasts a bright green colour that tempts customers inside on dreary autumn evenings
Star Grocers in Bethnal Green boasts a vivid green colour that tempts customers inside on dreary autumn evenings.
Inside Star Grocer's in Bethnal Green bags of rice line the walls up to the ceilings and shelves of fruit spill onto the floor.
Inside Star Grocer’s in Bethnal Green bags of rice line the walls up to the ceilings and shelves of fruit spill onto the floor.
A neon star sign crowns the signage of Star Grocer's in Bethnal Green
A neon star sign crowns Star Grocer’s and adds another emblem of colour to the, almost festive, shop front.
Bangla Bazar in Bethnal Green offers a tidier, cleaner look to some of its corner-shop brothers and sisters.
Bangla Bazar offers a tidier, cleaner look to some of its corner shop brothers and sisters. Inside a man keeps his shelves in order and re-stocks its neat lines of product.
A Bethnal Green boy stops in front of THE Meat and fish bazar
A boy throws a glance inside the shining lights of Bethnal Green’s Fish & Meat Bazar
Outside Harper's meat and fish bazar in Bethnal Green.
Outside the Meat and Fish Bazar bowls of tomatoes, bananas, cabbage and lemons brighten up the grey pavements.
University Stores on Old Ford Road has an array of old signage and even a pinball machine.
University Stores on Old Ford Road has an array of old signage and even an abandoned pinball machine.
University Stores on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green has layers of old posters and an open sign.
University Stores’s windows are plastered in old posters and a red and blue bulb open sign lets winks at passers-by.

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