Another coffee, folks?

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How much coffee can one place drink? There are reports – and Wansteadium is always upfront when it’s dealing with unconfirmed rumours – that at least two new cafes are planned for Wanstead.

We understand the Orange Tree site is to become a cafe, and we hear a similar report about the Designer Sale shop. This is despite being within yards of the longstanding favourite Nice Croissant (soon to be rebranded La Bakerie by its owner Fabien Ecuvillon, one of Wanstead’s hardest working men,), Starbucks and the recently opened Currant.

The former Wanstead News site we understand is to become a barber, again even though it is a very short distance from the decades-old Wanstead Hairdresser and the newcomer barbers at the old chocolate shop site.

Meanwhile, as we reported earlier this week, Londis did indeed close on Friday and is now a shell. Despite the spring in the step brought by the Ginger Pig and Harvey’s, times are still tough for High Street traders.

One player which is moving with the times is the Larder which from this Thursday and Friday will be opening late, serving wines and cocktails – the brainchild of barista Sean Grady. Book your tables now.

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52 thoughts on “Another coffee, folks?”

  3. Groan. Not more coffee shops! We need men’s & womens clothes & a wider range of children’s products than we can get in boots/tesco & co-op. What about books and a better range magazines? We lack those too!! I’d love to not have to go to a big supermarket just to get a better range of nappies!

  4. Groan. Not more coffee shops! We need men’s & womens clothes & a wider range of children’s products than we can get in boots/tesco & co-op. What about books and a better range magazines? We lack those too!! I’d love to not have to go to a big supermarket just to get a better range of nappies!

    2. ….Obviously you don’t care that McDonalds would bring in school kids loitering and being rambunctious….in fact it sounds like you want to sabotage Wanstead……… #keepitpeaceful 🙏🏻

    2. ….Obviously you don’t care that McDonalds would bring in school kids loitering and being rambunctious….in fact it sounds like you want to sabotage Wanstead……… #keepitpeaceful 🙏🏻

  15. Wanstead can’t sustain another cafe – not enough business to go around. Whilst I like to support new businesses I don’t want to see my old favourites suffer or close. Nice Croissant gets my business plus I’m keen to support newcomer More Italy but he needs to get children’s toys and instruct his Italian staff that tea does NOT get served with hot milk!

    1. Why does he need to provide children’s toys out of interest, can’t he just run his business, the way he wants too? Also, if you want it chilled, I’m sure by politely asking you shall receive… they are very accommodating…

      1. I agree, it’s nice to have places that are y’know predominantly adult friendly. I love the larder but swerve it when it’s fully of buggies.

    2. The cafe is opposite the school – a lot of parents with younger children go for coffee after school drop. Given a choice between the Larder with toys and More Italy with none, a lot will opt for the Larder. I like the place and want to see it succeed so my comments are – I hope – constructive. Doesn’t need to turn into a crèche, or have a play area but a couple of toys stored in a small box could make all the difference.

      Oh and my tea/milk comment was tongue in cheek but clearly didn’t come across well. Of course I asked politely for chilled milk. Hot milk in tea is to tea drinkers what instant coffee is to Italians – anathema.

  19. NO more coffee shops and cafes and eateries in general…..AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

    The number already here is bizarre enough as it is. If any more open I will feel like standing in the middle of this once much more interesting and useful High street, just screaming until they come and take me away.

    Remembering the Woolworths here, it would be great to have a Wilkinsons or even a really good pound shop. There aren’t enough affordable everyday goods to be bought in Wanstead, instead it’s always a trek to Leytonstone for those. Some on our doorstep would be an improvement.

  23. Let’s hope the Larder revamps its outside area and frontage with the forthcoming changes. It looks terrible and if I didn’t know that the food and staff were good I doubt I would be tempted in there.

  24. Although I applaud Heads’n’Tails for selling some yarn etc, It would be nice to have a yarn and haberdashery shop, with space for knitting, crochet etc groups to meet. (No harm if it also had a coffee machine though!) On the minus side, no more betting shops, estate agents and no pound shops, I hope.

  25. Remember – Woolworths closed because no one shopped there & there was a good pound shop where Larder is now. If coffee shops make more profit than general tat shops then that’s what we’ll get. Likewise bookshops are a very tough business – everyone thinks they’re great but then buys at Amazon.

    Personally, I’d be happy if someone like Eat 17 took over the Barclays building. Would be a good place for a restaurant I think.

    1. As you can see from the comments, more people want no further coffee shops or restaurants than do want them. We would like some variation instead of more of what we already have too much of. “General tat shops”? Are you pcgawnmad from another site, by any chance?

      As for bookshops — the Oxfam bookshop is going great guns in spite of Amazon.

      1. I can see comments yes, but comments aren’t customers.

        Look at the number of card/gift (what I mean by general tat) that have closed over the years. There’s obviously not a market to support that business.

        At least the coffee shops bring footfall for the other shops.

  26. Let’s face it – with the extortionate rents (which are almost as insane as the local house prices), you’re really only ever going to get a) a major chain/retailer or b) somewhere with very low overheads or big margins, i.e. a coffee shop or a barbers.

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