What’s New

Pet Spa Doors Open

Le Wag opened their boutique, cafe and pet spa at 68 New King’s Road mid May. Prior to opening their first fixed location they started two years ago as a mobile grooming spa that went to the doors of clients to pamper and maintain the coats, paws and claws of their four legged family members. Le Wag have now combined a coffee, boutique and pet spa experience in one. We spoke to Sacha from Le Wag about their new shop in the heart of our urban village and asked why they chose our area. “We absolutely love our Fulham neighbourhood, it’s the perfect home for Le Wag. When Le Wag was mobile it was definitely one of my favourite areas to visit. The friendly people, diverse community, bustling streets and beautiful architecture have always attracted me to the area and I knew Fulham was where I wanted the shop to be based”.

“Our pet spa is where all the magic happens. We have a young, dynamic and absolutely dog crazy team who make sure our clients have the most pampering and stress-free experience possible. Our cafe serves Peruvian coffee which is roasted and ground in small batches to ensure it’s of the highest quality. We also made efforts to source our coffee from a London based roaster in order to reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment”. As well as finding a quality cup of Joe, Fulham dog lovers and owners (there are lot of them in our area) can peruse their selection of accessories including remedies for dry noses and paws, harnesses, leads in a rainbow of colours and of course bio-degradable poo bags. Sacha told us “ In our boutique space you’ll find a variety of dog accessories along with a wide range of toys, pet care products and natural treats. We even have our own range of home-made hand poured candles and dog accessories designed by us!

Le Wag are also hosting Pop Up events in store which this month includes a partnership with Am & Cha who have brought their preloved collections to the store. For those of you quick of the mark readers of Urban Village LDN, there is a second event on Saturday 3 July (9 am - 6pm). We have no doubt Sacha and her team would love to see you there. If the sun’s back, as well as checking out the curated second hand collections you can pick up an iced maple latte and perhaps a treat for that extra special member of your family four legged or human. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewagofficial/

New Park Café

Roots & Berries is a small family of park cafés in South & West London and Frances Oppenheim, one half of the husband and wife team behind the business, got in touch with Urban Village LDN to tell us about the reopening of the Tea House in Bishop’s Park. The cafe will reopen later this month, after being fully refurbished, serving all day brunch, freshly baked treats, refreshing drinks and ice cream from the historic building, situated at the centre of the Grade 2 listed gardens. Whilst works are being completed to the interior and exterior a pop-up coffee bar outside the Tea House is now open.

Fran told us that “each Roots & Berries café purposefully has an individual name and identity that celebrates its own lovely corner of London. Each one gets behind local causes, employs local people, and adjusts the menus and service to the location, to provide the best experience they can from the unique buildings in London’s parks”. The adventure started seven years ago with the renovation of the coffee shop in Charlie & Fran’s local green space, just over the river on Wandsworth Common. Thanks to the support of the local community, friends, family (including their two toddlers who made excellent taste testers for the kids menu), and a lot of hard work, they opened The Skylark Café and it proved a hit. The company grew, allowing them to take their welcoming approach, delicious food, artisan drinks and community spirit to more neighbourhoods around South & West London.

Roots & Berries are now found in five neighbourhoods The Rookery Café & The Little Rook on Streatham Common, The Stables Café at Orleans House Gallery on Twickenham Riverside and Pitzhanger Pantry in Walpole Park, Ealing. The team will also shortly be opening a coffee shop and bakery on West Hill between Wandsworth and Putney; the company HQ, “where all the baking magic will happen”.

Fran told Urban Village “Roots & Berries are so thrilled and honoured to be opening in beautiful Bishop’s Park, we are already getting to know the community, who we would like to thank for their warm welcome at the pop-up and we can’t wait to make a lasting contribution to the area”. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bishopsparkteahouse/

State of the art recording studio

We’ve previously written about Singsational a local business that provides private, solo and group recording studio sessions and birthday parties. Camilla Reynolds got in touch with Urban Village LDN to introduce us to their brand new company VOXPOD, a state of the art recording studio which has been purpose built and is dedicated to voice recordings with both audio, video and live streaming capability. Camilla told us “the new studio is next door to our existing studio on Heathmans Road in Parsons Green, so it’s very well placed and conveniently located. We offer recording services with additional post production, if required, for podcasts, voice overs, audio books, live streamed events and more. We are an independent, family owned business offering a friendly and professional service to the community of SW London and beyond”.

The studio is available for private hire from £100 per hour and VOXPOD looks like it’s got off to an amazing start. Michael Morpurgo recently recorded his new audio book “The Birthday Duck” there as well as his heartfelt poem about the Minke Whale stranded in the Thames. The “Off Piste” podcast has been in conversation with Damon Hill and Fulhamish, the award winning Fulham FC podcast, has been recorded at VOXPOD. The facilities look incredible with vocal recording facilities for up to 8 participants, an acoustically treated studio and a professional Abbey Road trained sound engineer. So no set up hassle or the need to bring your own technical equipment, they provide independent headphone control on an iPad whilst their engineer takes care of the rest. At the end of the session you’re given an audio file via an online link and/or USB. What a great business to have in the heart of our urban village; we wish them every continued success.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voxpodstudio/

London’s First Vegan Dessert Parlour

Mookind, which we’ve heard is London’s first vegan dessert parlour, is coming to Fulham. This month they’ll be opening the doors to one of our favourite buildings, 65b New Kings Road, whose facade seems fitting for a dessert parlour; even more so now they’ve painted it a gorgeous shade of mint choc. Marianne Gibson, Founder of Mookind told Urban Village LDN she “wants to revolutionise the Vegan food market by offering delicious Plant-Based desserts at accessible prices”. Marianne, a lifelong animal lover, searched all over West London for two years and found only a limited selection of Vegan desserts and decided that there was a real need for a dedicated plant-based dessert parlour in West London. She also felt that people shouldn’t have to compromise their ethics to eat their favourite food and embarked on her adventure to source the best quality plant-based products and a mission to open the first of its kind an all vegan, dessert parlour, championing sustainability and fair treatment of animals; any packaging they use will be fully biodegradable.

There’s no doubt that people are becoming more conscious and aware of the consequences surrounding animal agriculture, from animal cruelty to global warming and beyond. Mookind’s entire product range is free from dairy, egg and any sort of animal product. You’ll soon be able to try all sorts of treats from smoothies and cupcakes to gelato and pick up vegan essentials and goodies stocked in their mini mart. We eagerly await opening day!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mookind_/