A common interest

Little Places is a curated platform that aims to discover independent places and brands in neighborhoods in London and encourage shopping from local makers. And the dynamic duo behind the platform: Ky and Jas, or Kyra and Jason until we get to know them a little better. How did we cross paths with Kyra and Jason? As you will guess: neighborhoods and common interests. 

The idea of Little Places emerged when Kyra and Jason witnessed the struggle of independent businesses and their cooperation in the neighborhood during the pandemic. Kyra used to share local and independent businesses with her friends on her Instagram account to support, but it took quarantine to bring it to life on a curated platform called Little Places, with Jason. 

Nowadays, Little Places invites you to take an online tour of the neighborhood with a marketplace that allows you to shop directly from some of the shops in the selection. Before Little Places will soon appear as an app on your phone or as a book on the shelves, we asked Kyra and Jason a few questions about the concept of neighborhood and Bow. 

Bow

According to you, what does “neighborhood” mean? How is your relationship with yours?

Neighborhood is when people or businesses have a common interest in helping the area. Over the years, we’ve made so many close friends and acquaintances in the area that rarely does a day go by where we don’t bump into someone.

How would you describe the characteristics of your neighborhood and its locals?

Bow is a very loveable neighborhood known for its diversity. It has everything from beautiful residential streets, cozy pubs, wine bars, intimate restaurants, coffee shops, and has Victoria Park on its doorstep which, alongside being a hub for locals to hang out, hosts music festivals in the summer.

Fill in the blanks.

We’re always around …… Hackney Wick. It’s a lovely walk through Victoria Park to Hackney Wick, and once you get there, there are so many options.

We’re regulars at …... Mae & Harvey. It’s our local coffee shop and actually what kickstarted the idea for Little Places. Back when the pandemic hit, we noticed they started changing up their offering and were selling items like loo roll. A year ago, we did a feature on Mae & Harvey and it felt like it had really come full circle!

Mae & Harvey

People we like meeting in the neighborhood …… We’re very fortunate to have a handful of close friends who live around the park or travel through the park regularly and we love bumping into them when it happens. It often ends in heading to a pub.

We’re always walking through …… Victoria Park — either to get to Lauriston Village, London Fields, Hackney Wick, or just any excuse to walk through the park!

The scent of the neighborhood …... We’re lucky to be so close to the park that it’s often the smell of grass.

The taste of the neighborhood …… Anything and everything — the mix of people brings with it a mix of cultures, flavors and tastes.

The first thing that catches our eye in Bow …… As with many London boroughs, there are so many routes that it’s hard to define. But on a personal level, our first encounter with Bow was coming through Victoria Park on a sunny day. Bow takes you by surprise because the main high streets are so busy it’s easy to forget that there’s so much calm to be found.

If you want to check out more on Little Places, click here.

All photos: Little Places