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The Founding of The East End Trades Guild

November 19, 2012
by the gentle author

Tonight at Christ Church, Spitalfields, more than two hundred small businesses, shopkeepers and independent traders meet in an historic assembly to found The East End Trades Guild.

Spitalfields Life Contributing Photographers Sarah Ainslie, Lucinda Douglas Menzies, Jeremy Freedman, Phil Maxwell, Simon Mooney, Patricia Niven, Colin O’Brien, Alex Pink & Agnese Sanvito have been out taking portraits of every single one of the Founder Members. All these pictures will be shown tonight on a screen with live musical accompaniment and today I publish this selection of fifty to illustrate the wonderful range of traders that have come together to launch this new initiative.

Sebastian Sharples’ film, “We Are The Beating Heart of The East End,” will be premiered. Nevio Pellicci of E.Pellicci will be Master of Ceremonies for the evening. The opening speech will be by Paul Gardner, proprietor of Spitalfields oldest family business and the Founder of the Guild, who will describe how it all came about. Then, Henry Jones of Jones Dairy and Shanaz Khan of Chaat Restarant will introduce the Guild, outlining its purpose and intentions, before a group photograph of the two hundred Founding Members is taken as the culmination of the evening.

Members of the public are welcome to attend tonight as witnesses but must arrive at 6:30pm. And there is still time for traders to become Founder Members of the Guild by contacting organiser Krissie Nicolson today – krissie@eastendtradesguild.co.uk  07910 966738

Carol Burns, C.E. Burns Waste Paper Merchants

© Sarah Ainslie

Sarfaraz Loonat, M& G Ironmongery & Building Supplies

© Sarah Ainslie

Matthew Reynolds, The Duke of Uke

© Sarah Ainslie

Violet Cake Shop

© Colin O’Brien

Citywear

© Simon Mooney

Caroline Bousfield Studio

© Colin O’Brien

Jason Burley, Camden Lock Books

© Colin O’Brien

Robert Boyd Bowman, Alexander Boyd Tailors

© Jeremy Freedman

Tip Tap Appliances

© Colin O’Brien

Margaret, Vintage Heaven

© Patricia Niven

Tatty Devine

© Patricia Niven

Shanaz Khan, Chaat

© Sarah Ainslie

Hash, Urban Species

© Patricia Niven

Ally Capellino

© Patricia Niven

Ainsworth Broughton Upholstery

© Simon Mooney

Mar Mar Co

© Simon Mooney

Shamim Ali, Miraz Cafe

© Phil Maxwell

Labour & Wait

© Patricia Niven

Tracey Neuls

© Simon Mooney

Saeed Malik, Bina Shoes

© Phil Maxwell

Rosebud Trading

© Alex Pink

Campania

© Sarah Ainslie

Henry Jones, Jones Bros Dairy

© Colin O’Brien

Lillie O’Brien, London Borough of Jam

© Colin O’Brien

Charlie Amarnath, Bethnal Green Post Office

© Sarah Ainslie

John Shore, Shoe Care

© Alex Pink

Tyrone Walker-Hebborn, Genesis Cinema

© Colin O’Brien

Ben, E5 Bakery

© Colin O’Brien

Leila’s Shop

© Patricia Niven

Jay, Manji Beads

© Simon Mooney

Angela Flanders

© Jeremy Freedman

SNAP

© Simon Mooney

Herrick Gallery

© Simon Mooney

Sarah Marks & Sarah Duchars, Buttonbag

© Agnese Sanvito

Liam Kelleher, Noble Fine Liquor

www.agnesesanvito.com/

Christiane Victorin, La Vie Boutique

© Agnese Sanvito

Michael-George Hemus & James Morgan, Truman’s Beer

© Jeremy Freedman

Ryantown

© Patricia Niven

James Brown

© Jeremy Freedman

Jonathan Norris Ltd

© Alex Pink

Stephen Godfroy, Rough Trade

© Lucinda Douglas Menzies

Philip & Paulo, A.Gold

© Jeremy Freedman

Denise Jones, Brick Lane Bookshop

© Lucinda Douglas Menzies

Muhibur Rahman, Fruit & Veg

© Alex Pink

Hitcham, Painter & Decorator

© Colin O’Brien

Buddug, J&B Fashion

© Colin O’Brien

Chrome & Black

© Simon Mooney

Newmans Stationery

© Simon Mooney

Deli Downstairs

© Colin O’Brien

Sandra Esqulant, The Golden Heart

© Patricia Niven

You may like to read about the origin of the East End Trades Guild

We Are The Beating Heart Of The East End

14 Responses leave one →
  1. Jeannette permalink
    November 19, 2012

    thanks to you they seem like old friends.
    this is wonderful news. you all should be very proud of yourselves. power to the people.

  2. Annie permalink
    November 19, 2012

    Go, go, go! In a world where the PM has just announced that people should stop being tiresome by objecting to plans that will supposedly boost the economy whilst ruining their lives, thank God for the East End Trades Guild. Although I am up here in Yorkshire, I will
    be raising my Southern fist in salute with you today.

  3. Greg Tingey permalink
    November 19, 2012

    Good luck – you will need it!

  4. November 19, 2012

    Good luck to the new East End Trades Guild – interesting, and promising, times.

  5. November 19, 2012

    Like Annie, sending some Yorkshire solidarity down your way. I wish you every success with the battles ahead

  6. Adrianne LeMan permalink
    November 19, 2012

    Pleased to see that there was a piece in the Guardian today about this.

  7. david donoghue permalink
    November 19, 2012

    Great photos!

  8. Ros permalink
    November 19, 2012

    Congratulations to everyone involved, particularly you, gentle author, for your major part in this significant enterprise. Hope it goes from strength to strength and that many small East End businesses will get the support they need. An excellent development.

  9. Hari from Canada permalink
    November 20, 2012

    Great work – we need more guilds, promoting small business owners, globally.

  10. November 20, 2012

    Good luck to you all!

  11. Juliet Wrightson permalink
    November 20, 2012

    I hope that you are already in talks with your publisher to produce a book of these photos with captions – we need a more permanent production. Royalties to the Guild?

  12. November 20, 2012

    Well done – Here in Tetbury,Glos – plans are afoot to form “Traders Guild”in 2013. High time local traders took a hand in their own destiny.

  13. Gus permalink
    November 22, 2012

    What an inspiring article. I live in Edinburgh and don’t get to London so often but this makes me want to jump on a train now! Would be great if there was a map (maybe on the Guild website?) locating all of these wonderful places/people.

  14. November 30, 2012

    Great idea, local collaboration is the best way forward to protect everyone’s best interests in these challenging times. Good luck!

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