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Get more visibility for your business to Streatham locals by taking part in this year’s Streatham Festival Art Trail!

Consider hosting one or more resident artists during the Festival between 11th to 20th October 2024.

This would entail allowing an artist to display their artwork in your window or other prominent space.

In return your business will be featured on the Festival website, on the Art Trail map, and promoted on social media. So lots of free publicity, and lots of new walk-ins!

Members of the public will be walking the art trail over the course of the week to view the art and discover the fabulous mix of shops, cafes, bars and businesses Streatham has.

Streatham Festival Art Leads, Susanna Abel and Bernadette Griffin will be matching artists to suitable venues with the support of InStreatham so please get in contact before April 30th to find the perfect art for your premise.

Contact Susanna or Bernadette

Here in Streatham, we are extremely lucky and are proud to have a dynamic business community with women right at the heart of it. It’s extremely important to celebrate International Women’s Day to honour and appreciate the different achievements that women have accomplished around the world, including successes in society, economy and culture.

Every year International Women’s Day announce a theme to celebrate the day – the theme for 2022 is #Breakthebias.

InStreatham has highlighted a few of the many inspiring business women that make Streatham a great place to work.

When Baby Spinach opened alongside Yogarise and Element Fitness, it was greeted with a lot of excitement from locals; with a welcoming, baby, dog and laptop friendly environment – you can see why! After gaining much experience in the service industry as a sommelier, Melissa decided to start her own entrepreneurial endeavour. They chose to open their “baby” branch in Streatham following success from their award-winning East Dulwich restaurant, Spinach. Baby Spinach serves flavourful vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes – open sandwiches, flatbreads, smoothies, super juices. Using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, Baby Spinach offers a light, bright cafe and homemade food for the Streatham community.

Marj saw a gap in the Streatham high street offering and thought we could definitely benefit from a zero waste shop. With the devastation of plastic pollution within our oceans, she wanted to amplify the message that shopping without plastic is not only crucial for our wellbeing but also to preserve our planet! She’s also an experienced supplement advisor on natural remedies for over 20 years.

Last year, her business was one of the chosen 13 across the UK to receive a makeover through Facebook’s campaign to encourage people to keep shopping locally and support small businesses. Visit the Zero waste shop for natural remedies, bulk wholefoods, nuts, pulses, dried fruit, pasta, rice and even refillable-cleaning supplies, all packaged free.

Having worked as a therapist within sports injury and beauty for over 20 years, Emma branched out on her own in 2015 opening her first spa in Streatham, and after amazing success as a multi award winning spa, she opened a second branch in 2019. She and her team have a deep knowledge of the effects of natural products on the skin and body and thus work alongside brands that hold the same ethos to offer the best the beauty industry has to offer.

Will you help break the bias? Cross your arms to show solidarity.

Strike the IWD 2022 pose and share your #BreakTheBias image, video, resources, presentation or articles on social media using #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias to encourage further people to commit to helping forge an inclusive world.

Streatham is full of successful, independent women who continue to make a positive difference to the area and
community (we wish we could list them all!) but we celebrate you all – Happy International Women’s Day to you.

Following the terror incident on Streatham High Road yesterday afternoon, we would like to offer our support and condolences to those affected. We are incredibly shocked and saddened for it happen in our community.

We are aware that your staff and colleagues would have been working during the incident and are concerned with how it may affect their wellbeing. Below are details of the official advice that has been circulated including road closures and bus diversions. https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/parking-transport-and-streets/road-closures

Streatham has much to offer and our community is resilient, with a thriving high road that we are proud to support.    

We understand you may have questions regarding the nature of the incident so please do contact us with your concerns and we will ensure they are directed to the appropriate authorities. 

We are proud of our wonderfully diverse community and are keeping in close contact with the relevant authorities. If any Streatham businesses have been affected and need support (e.g. liasing with official services etc) please contact us now on info@InStreatham.com.

If you or anyone you know would like support, we advise you to speak or signpost those affected to Victim Support. The 24/7 support line is 0808 168 9111. Alternatively, Lambeth Council have provided extra support, and if anyone would like to speak to somebody about any personal impact due to this incident, please contact mseedat@lambeth.gov.uk with your name and contact details, and a council officer will be in touch with you as soon as possible. 

Regarding the businesses directly affected, we are aware that the police cordon will remain in place until later this evening. Our local MP, Bell-Riberio Addy has also been in touch and would be very happy to meet with you regarding your concerns.

The police have also urged the public and the media to help them by sending any images or footage they may have taken at the scene to www.ukpoliceappeal.com. Anyone who may have information that could assist the investigation could call 0800 789 321. And, of course, in an emergency, please call 999.

Lambeth have launched their new Investment and Growth strategy 2030 for Streatham.⁠ This document outlines a set of aims and ambitions to future proof our town.⁠

The vision is underpinned by five key objectives:

 1. Challenging Perceptions and Attracting Inward Investment
 2. Diversifying the Town Centre Offer 
3. Providing Space for Growth and Enterprise 
4. Providing Spaces for Better and New Experiences 
5. Progressing Development Opportunities

They invite you to read the Draft Strategy and help us to improve it by providing comment via a short online survey accessible here.  

UPDATE: 

Lambeth Council, Streatham Action and InStreatham BID are organising a  public meeting to review the Streatham Investment and Growth Strategy 2030 ahead of its consultation deadline of August 23rd and we would love it if you could make it along!

As part of our celebration of Independents Day, we interviewed longstanding independent business, Mediworld, trading in Streatham for over 40 years!⁠

Read Mediworld’s story, a family-run medical retailer trading in Streatham for over 40 years!

With Naveed Khan, Director

How long have you been a business in Streatham?

“My parents started the business in 1973 and initially selling surgical instruments to doctors. As these were pre-internet and smartphone days they were often asked about other items and instead of just saying no they would offer to source items for their clients. Slowly and slowly the range of products grew and they started stocking other medical products, then dental, then veterinary, then mobility, then disability and now we have over 2,500 products in our range. In 1985 the company rebranded, adopting the current name Mediworld.”

Who are your customers?

“There’s no other store that we know of in the country that offers both a medical and mobility/disability range so our patrons do sometimes travel up to an hour to reach us. We also supply to care homes, medical schools, laboratories, GP surgeries, private hospitals and clinics as well as schools, colleges and universities all over the UK. We have been approved suppliers to the NHS, United Nations and MoD for over 30 years.”

What does being an independent business mean for you?

“Everything is run from our offices here in Streatham. Despite our global reach we are very much a local business and in terms of services we tend to not stray too far from our doorstep.

Everything is run from our offices here in Streatham. Despite our global reach, we are very much a local business and in terms of services, we tend to not stray too far from our doorstep. Our social media channels are run by local ‘digital mum’ Elaine Paterson, our graphic design work is done by local designer & wildlife artist Susanna Abel, our accounts are handled by a local firm, our insurance broker has his office just around the corner on Greyhound Lane. My parents live a 5-minute walk from the store and I live a 10-minute walk away. I grew up here and attended Crown Lane Primary school; with many, many afternoons and evenings spent playing football (and weather-permitting cricket) with my friends and neighbours on Streatham Common The manufacturers we work with have decades (sometimes centuries) of expertise in their field many of them still have their factories right here in the UK.”

Streatham has changed massively since you started. How has your business been able to adapt to the changes?

“As a business we constantly face threats to our survival. When a large high street chain stock a popular product like a wheelchair and bulk import the cheapest quality at the lowest price, we simply cannot compete with that financially. As an independent business we hold ourselves to a higher level of accountability. We are not just looking at the bottom line or sales figures. We have a duty of care to make sure that anyone who walks through our doors gets the best possible product at the most affordable price – even if it means sending them to a competitor who might specialise in that product or advising them to return to their GP so they do not make an unnecessary purchase.”

Mediworld has grown over the years, in 2002 they moved 5 doors down to a bigger premise as their product range increased and their online store launched five years ago.

“There’s been a real upturn over the last decade with many new independent businesses opening up, especially coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. I personally believe the InStreatham BID team have played a massive role and all of Streatham thanks you for the hard work and great strides you have made. Local residents like Mel Larsen & Pauline Milligan setting up and running community events like the Peace Festival and Food Festival must be applauded. As do Jane Wroe-Wright & Lee Alley for setting up the Heart Streatham magazine from scratch. There are just so many unsung heroes who have selflessly pioneered real positive change in our community and High Street!

Our business rates were increased last year by 34% and we know of other independents on Streatham High Road whose increases were even higher.”

“When you visit your local independent store, please remember that whilst they might be fighting corporate battles with banks, insurance companies, overseas suppliers and even government departments; they see you for the individual you are and will always try their best to make sure your needs are met to the best of their ability.” – Naveed.

It’s not too late to get involved either as a retailer or shopper. You can join in the conversation and connect with others online, using the tag #StreathamIndies and #heartstreathamindies

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