A new record label, shop and radio station is breathing life into Mount Pleasant
In the group of shops on Mount Pleasant there are some old stalwarts including the feted Process Supplies, one of the last film processors in London, a café, and showing the area’s attraction to company HQs, the home of Fred Perry.
Apart from that, the stretch could use a bit of a refresh, so it is fitting that a shop called Kindred has recently joined the fray, selling and hosting music, books, art, t-shirts and, every Tuesday, a live radio station.
It is based around the imprint Kindred, started by proprietor and DJ Jojo, who prior to Covid, ran parties and club nights across London. “When Covid happened we came across the space and within a month, we were open,” says Jojo.
“It was very spur of the moment” At the moment he runs the shop and the radio station every Tuesday with his girlfriend Scarlet and team members Louis and Noah. In the last decade many record shops have closed down, despite a growing taste for vinyl. “Some were intimidating, particularly to younger customers,” says Jojo. “But this is smaller and cosy and we’ve got young people coming here as well as people who live around the corner.”
The shop was previously an office. As well as spending last summer sanding its floorboards, Jojo and his colleagues made all the furniture for the shop. In doing so, the area has seen a bit of rejuvenation. “It’s a great part of London, but this was a bit of a quiet street,” says Jojo.
“But it’s all falling into place, and helping to bring in a new community interested in music, art and design.” It has also been a shot in the arm after the dreary days of Covid, adds Jojo. “I feel that it’s been especially difficult for people my age to have been locked away. Here, you can meet people outside when the weather’s nice and have like a social space. We’ve kind of made a little hub and it’s very early days so we’re going to keep expanding with workshops and events.”
As Jojo says, it’s partly about repopulating the area following the pandemic, and to get physical space in a digital world. “A lot of young DJs find it hard to get onto platform,” he says “So we’ve basically created our own, and it’s just grown massively. I think it shows there was a need for a space like this.”
For more information: Visit kindredeverything.com
