The Tool Box is moving

The Tool Box, the Aladdin’s cave of DIY goodies run by Imran Asghar with his brother and father, is moving to a new location further down the High Street.

The shop will be moving into a larger shop next door to Phone Fix, a hundred metres towards Snaresbrook Station. There was previously a clothes shop at the site.

The brothers are turning their existing premises into a grocery shop, selling organic fruit and vegetables, and organic/free range meat, specialising in marinated options. It will be called Daniyal’s.

The Asghars have won a loyal customer base thanks to them having nearly everything you could want in stock, and also because of their friendliness and customer service.

Imran said: “We’re really pleased to announce our new venture. Seven years in and Wanstead has become a home to myself. We’re looking forward to moving Tool Box to the new premises. I’m also looking forward to ‘Daniyal’s’ being received the same way once we’re ready.”

Brother Nasir said: “I’m really excited with the new project. I have 15 years of experience & will be bringing a head butcher with over 30 years of experience. Customer service & quality will always be top of my priorities.”

Wanstead’s Robin Das on his England debut

There was more to the story about Wanstead (and Essex) cricketer Robin Das making his England debut at Lord’s last week. Robin is the first cricketer of Bangladeshi heritage to play for England – he tells BBC Essex here:

It means a lot personally – I feel like I have made some of my family not just here but also back in Bangladesh really proud… it’s a very good feeling. I hope that I’m definitely not the last and that there will be more to come.

What can we tell about Wanstead’s wine bar-to-be?

Mustwine.co.uk – image of other branches

Wanstead High Street is to get a new wine bar in the site where Coco has been for a number of years.

The new wine bar will be a branch of Must Wine, which has bars in St Albans and Hampstead. If Wanstead’s is like the others, it will be offering food and wine – the menu, which includes a pretty sophisticated range of food to eat alongside a glass is available here.

We must say that we think this looks like a pretty impressive addition to that end of the High Street. At the Snaresbrook end, Daygustation is doing something similar and making the most of pavement cafe lifestyle. It’s all part of the apparent ongoing transition of Wanstead into a place for bars, restaurants and cafes.

Good luck to them on their new venture.

Want to take part in Wanstead Fringe 2022?

This year’s Wanstead Fringe is taking place between 10 and 25 September, and once again is gearing up to be the cultural event of the year for this beautiful little bit of our city.

If you fancy running an event, or have an idea, this is your chance to get in on the planning. Or if you’re interested in volunteering we want to hear from you too. Fill in your details on this Google Form and organisers will be in touch.