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  • Movers and shakers: Spirit

  • Interview: Rebecca Taylor. Photography Rob Greig

    Posted: Tue Nov 28 2006

  • Over the last year, Time Out has reported on the plight of shopkeepers on Dalston‘s Broadway Market. Many of the colourful neighbourhood shops here, rented from Hackney Council, have been sold off by Hackney to fill its coffers. Spirit, 59, who runs the much-loved Caribbean food store at number 71, fell victim to a sell-off to developers based in the Bahamas – who then hiked up his rent by 710 per cent. He has been fighting a campaign to challenge the sell-off and repay the arrears he‘s accrued since the rent rise. The next hearing will be at the beginning of December.

    Movers and shakers: Spirit

    New entry at 82: Caribbean crusader, Spirit

  • What does it mean to you to stay on Broadway Market?
    It means a lot. When I first got this business going in 1993, it was derelict; and I’ve put money into it, building it up from scratch. At the time there weren’t a lot of black people who owned businesses, so it meant a lot to be here. Feature continues

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    What did you think when your shop had been auctioned off without you knowing?
    I couldn’t believe it! It was sold at an auction to the developers in the Bahamas for £85,000 – I’d been told it was worth £100,000. A couple of friends and my sister had helped club together so that I could put a deposit on the shop for £10,000. I gave the cheque to the auctioneers on the morning of the auction to secure the purchase. The next thing I knew, the shop had been sold to the developers and my cheque was returned in the post.

    How has the sell-off affected you?
    I am really scared. I don’t know what’s happening next. My daughter, who is 15, and my son, who is 12, come and stay with me and I don’t feel good that soon I might not have anywhere for them to stay. I feel really low. One minute their dad had a shop, and the next – nothing.

    What would you like to see happen next?
    To see justice done. Of course I want to keep the shop. The only good thing to come out of this is that the local community saw injustice and joined forces with me; we’ve raised £16,400 to pay off some of my arrears. That has been uplifting. I’ve learned how good people can be. For more info see 34broadwaymarket.omweb.org

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