Five local establishments have been awarded a share of £17,000 to run community events to help boost Hackney’s high street.
The grant was provided by the Local Area Activation Fund, which was created after businesses requested that Hackney Council support local retailers and encourage business to business partnerships.
Business owners were thrilled to receive this funding, hoping to foster a community and provide accessible opportunities to locals for whom price is an obstacle.
Geonhee Kim (Gunny), project manager of Cheeky Studio, an environmentally-conscious rug tufting workshop, explained how they used their funding.
She said: “We did a local workshop for Hackney residents who wanted to have a workshop but didn’t have the opportunity to, since the price is not so low.”
The workshop was free to attend and lasted three hours, starting with a discussion of what Hackney means to the attendees, before they created rugs inspired by the area.
Cheeky Studio also ran a free exhibition titled ‘Hackney Bloom’ with Roha Flower Shop, Sonic Tonics, and Japonica – all Hackney businesses collaborating to create a floral and textile show that showcases the rugs created by Hackney locals.
The new grant came after seven other independent retailers were each given up to £5,000 back in March.
Hannah Standen is a co-founder of the upcycling fashion marketplace Alterist, which received the previous grant and used it to fund a pop-up store in Hackney as a space for small fashion brands to display their clothing.
“It’s great to see the local council investing in giving opportunities to small businesses, and that really helps us break down barriers for small brands,” she said.
The reaction to Alterist’s physical store was so positive that it has now become a permanent location for them to rotate designers’ works, many of which are Hackney-based.
The funding is supplied by the central government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, but it is up to local councils to decide how to spend it.
Martin Mallon, culture communications lead for Hackney Council, explained how the final establishments were selected.
He said: “They were scored and chosen based on the quality of their applications, how deliverable it was and how they planned to evaluate how it generated footfall.”
Regarding the success of the grants awarded in March, Mallon said that businesses have reported an increase in footfall both on the high street and in their shops.
“The aims of the fund are to galvanise the local community, creating better connections between residents and businesses, and drive additional footfall into the town centres, which will deliver an economic uplift to local businesses,” he said.
Featured image credit: Kitty Connolly
Join the discussion