What’s New
Parsons Green and Bloom
If you haven’t spotted it yet, there’s a new Summer community pop up located at Sands End Arts & Community Centre (SEACC) in South Park. Parsons Green and Bloom opened last month selling a range of both indoor and outdoor plants. Whether you’ve got a bijou balcony, a petite patio or a large garden, they have a lovely range of shrubs and bedding plants. We popped down to have a browse and to hear more from local resident Sarah Bender, one of the team behind the new venture.
Sarah told Urban Village LDN “I bumped into my now business partner Louis, whilst walking the dog in South Park, he looked across at the Walnut Grove and said “do you know what, that space would make a really lovely garden centre”. Months went by and I kept looking over and thinking he’s right, it really is a lovely space, its not used a huge amount and has the bonus of being shaded. I was in the community centre one day and bumped into Nina, SEACC’s Director, told her about the idea and she loved it. Things just went from there, we opened at the beginning of May and the response has been amazing. We’ve got great value plants and whilst we’re here for the summer you never know things may continue. It’s been a great start”.
Stock changes daily and on our visit we spotted beautiful hydrangeas, incredible peppers and foxgloves. They have plans to expand their services providing horticulture services to local residents. They’ll also be launching subsidised learning and education courses, details to be announced over the Summer months. Parsons Green and Bloom also offer free delivery in Fulham. The pop up is open Mon - Friday (10.30 - 6pm) and (9am - 6pm) weekends / bank holidays. We picked up some gorgeous house plants including a stunning multi stemmed pink orchid and jumped on a bike to settle them in their new home.
La Gelateria Della Luna
There’s a new ice cream shop in Fulham and what a time to open! The recent heatwave saw queues of people lining up outside this gelateria and cafe, eager to try some traditional Italian Gelato. This business is founded by Fulham resident, nutritionist and private chef Simay Aktas and we’ve been watching the new shop came together with it’s gorgeous blue facade, fabulous logo and yellow awning.
When the doors opened we popped in to catch up with Simay and find out more. “The gelato is sourced from Oddono’s the award winning London based Italian Gelato maker who have won Great Taste Awards and a Gordon Ramsay endorsement. Living in London I spent ages looking for a quality Italian gelateria and eventually decided to open one myself. Alongside the gelato, the cafe will serve slow fermented two tone croissants with chocolate and hazelnut fillings and speciality coffee from local roasters Code.194. Our drinks menu incudes matcha, ube and spirulina lattes and traditional hot chocolate”.
We love the look and feel of Della Luna located at 666 Fulham Road and asked Simay how it all came together “I wanted to create somewhere warm and beautiful that was focused on quality. From the ingredients to the atmosphere everything is designed to feel authentic and welcoming”. Having taken Simay up on her kind offer of a trial sample, how could we say no, we can confirm that the ice cream is incredibly delicious, made with natural ingredients and its obvious why they are Great Taste Award winners, normally we find ice cream too sweet and feel dehydrated after eating it. Not this time! We chose coconut and also tried a small taste of coffee whilst chatting to Fulham local Henry. He told us he’d been in every day since they opened “it’s on my way home from work”, in only a matter of days this Gelateria has found customers who love what they do.
Follow them on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/lagelateriadellaluna
Blomme
Blomme is a new floral boutique that opened its doors at the end of May. Founded by local resident Georgie Chenery, who you may already know through her events planning company Bellowby Hutcher, Blomme was created “from a love of thoughtful floristry, beautiful spaces, and celebrating life’s meaningful moments through flowers. Inspired by the changing seasons and natural, organic forms, we create bouquets and arrangements that feel expressive, personal and quietly luxurious. Seasonal bouquets, Weddings & events, Gifts & cards, Sympathy arrangements”.
Urban Village LDN spoke to Georgie to find out more about her new business and how she’s managing with a new venture and an events company. “To be honest Blomme goes so hand in hand with event planning. I have fabulous teams around me and the events business is so established which means with this new launch I have both the capability and capacity to flip between the two. Blomme came to be as I wanted to get my teeth into something different but in the same lovely, creative industry. We opened a Christmas pop up a few years ago on Wandsworth Bridge Road called Jolly & Pine, to see if the community had any appetite for it and people were so thrilled that we’d opened so we went on to create Blomme. We had a busy first opening weekend, so many welcoming kind words and such great feedback; although the hot weather has slightly upset things, flowers are not happy in this extreme heat”.
We asked Georgie about future plans and although it feels strange talking about Christmas in a heatwave we went there. “Christmas always starts early for us as we are at trade shows in January. We will be offering a range of trees at competitive price points and handmade wreaths. With upcoming events we’ll be creating window displays for Queen’s, Wimbledon and my favourite Halloween.
Blomme are “incredibly excited to be part of the community” so do pop in and say hello, you’ll be sure of a warm welcome. Georgie told us “as time goes on we’ll work out what the desire is and help with special requests. We just had one for a christening and there’s so much scope to go beyond the traditional bouquet”. In the meantime look out for their new website, coming soon.Until then follow them here on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blommelondon
GolfSQ
GolfSQ officially opened on 18 May, a new community-focused indoor golf club, built around making golf more accessible, social and welcoming for everyone - whether you’re a complete beginner, casual player or experienced golfer. Located at 14 Farm Lane, GolfSQ is a show up and play space that combines high-end TrackMan golf technology with a relaxed social atmosphere, workspace facilities and live sport viewing.
Urban Village LDN spoke to the team behind the brand “The venue has been built to the highest standard, designed to give the feel of a premium, high-end members venue while still maintaining a relaxed, welcoming and contemporary atmosphere that people feel comfortable spending time in. The venue features four TrackMan-powered simulator bays, giving guests access to the same technology used by tour professionals. Members and visitors can practise, play some of the world’s most famous courses, take lessons, enjoy interactive games or compete against friends in a fun and social setting. Community is a huge part of what we’re building at GolfSQ. We run monthly competitions including the GolfSQ 9-Hole Competition, Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive challenges, with live leaderboards displayed in the bar area to create an interactive and competitive atmosphere throughout the venue”.
Beyond golf itself, the team told us that GolfSQ has been designed as a place for people to spend time in “alongside the simulator bays, guests have access to a full bar serving cocktails, beers, speciality coffee and snacks, making it just as suitable for socialising as it is for practising golf. the venue also includes a members’ snug, lounge and a dedicated work-from-home area where people can take meetings, work remotely or simply unwind between sessions. One of the key ideas behind GolfSQ is creating a “proper club” feel in a modern way - somewhere people can come regularly, meet others, improve their game and feel part of a genuine local community. The aim is to remove many of the traditional barriers often associated with golf clubs and create a more inclusive environment centred around social connection and shared experiences”.
GolfSQ is open seven days a week from 7am to 11pm and offers flexible memberships, coaching programmes and pay-as-you-play bookings. It’s a great option for birthdays, team building, school trips and more.