Boulangerie Bon Matin

Marquis

I also have the impression that prices have gone up since opening. I seem to remember paying £2.30 for a baguette on Friday which suddenly cost £2.80 yesterday morning. I still intend to get my lunch from there at least a couple of times every week in the near future - unless the inflation of their prices continues at the same rate.

Roy

@Misscara: no, I wouldn't expect them to keep food in the window overnight, but I still think shops look more attractive if you can see into them. Blinds completely covering the windows just comes across to me as meaning "we've gone out of business" or some such. I'm clearly in a minority of one here in finding this odd, though. I'm sure I'll get used to it. -roy

Caboose

Very impressed with BBM, the seating at the back is lovely with the sunshine coming through the glass roof.

Had to pay in cash - they will have their card machines ready by next week, in case anyone was wondering.

dorothy

@Roy, I've always hated the shutters, but they're everywhere. I've worked on a few regeneration schemes, where I've really fought against the shutters on buildings There are some more artistic alternatives. The lattice ones, I think are favoured now by planners. Sometimes planners insist on a certain style in conservation areas etc. I know Evans the bike shop in Crouch End went without shutters in the first few weeks of opening. Someone eventually rammed through the window and took the one lovely red £2,000 bike in the window. They've got shutters now. I've worked in a couple of shop front offices and when we didn't use the shutters, we always regretted it. It's a shame though. If SGR/Tollington Road, really become gentrified, we may slowly get some lovely metal grills. Its the kind of thing local people can influence the Council about, in my experience.

badkitteh

Garufa in Highbury also had their front window smashed in a few weeks after they opened and immediately installed shutters after the robbery. The owner said that some of the surrounding shops had the same experience a few weeks after opening, kind like a "welcome to the neighbourhood" kind of thing.

Rona

BBM looks lovely - I was one of the ones staring in at the window last Saturday but my friend wanted to go to the Front Room. I think she had the same problem with the grammar but I said I didn't think titles of cafes would have the 'du' in them. Anyway I will try it next weekend - is it open on Sunday? Is it owned by the same people as the Sable D'Or?

Mirandola

Dorothy

So how do we influence the council?

sincers

Have someone take a picture of you pointing at stuff and shaking your fist. Then send it into H&CE Journal explaining what really grinds your gears.

dorothy

Yes, that too. @Mirandola I'm not sure what the planning regs are at the moment regarding shutters on SGR, but generally: Email local councillors and when you see them on the street or in the pub mention it again. Email the members of the planning committee. Email planning officers. Go to those Stroud Green meetings which I'm afraid I never go to and ask a question about it, get it minuted and ask for a formal reply. Speak to local Traders, there's a Finsbury Park Traders' group I know Kieran in Snowhite is on it, get one of them to champion the cause. Most traders won't bother with getting nice fancy new shutters because of the cost, so concentrate on the ones that can. There may be some 'planning gain' money from all the new developments which the Council can use for shop front improvements. Not sure if the Finsbury Park Partnership does anything much, but getting some new shutters for traders might be a 'quick win' for them.

Roy

@dorothy: good point about conservation areas. A number of shopping streets in Cambridge are in conservation areas, which is perhaps part of the reason we had fewer shutters. -roy

Murphy

Boulangerie Bon Matin, Tollington Park (for the person who wanted the address) is brilliant. I adore it. I didn't even know it was there until Saturday, which made the whole thing more exciting. Front Room has been resting on it's laurels for a while now and while it's coffee is, for the moment, outperforming Boulangerie - it's other offerings have deteriorated to the point that I'd rather travel to H&I or Stokey for a nice breakfast-until now.

ADGS

Speaking of shutters, no idea whether it was a) official or b) permanent but Season had a painting attached to theirs when I went past this morning, and it did brighten the facade considerably.

bennyfromtheblok

Slightly off topic but perhaps we could persuade a local artist to come and paint all the shutters like Ben Eine did on "Alphabet Street" - <http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jun/27/streetart>; Perhaps this could be done through John Jones and their gallery?

Mirandola

Bennyfromtheblok,

That's rather a nice idea. Perhaps numbers rather than letters?

WillM

Just had a pain au chocolat + a latte from BBM. Brilliant PaC - crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, retained its shape, and the chocolate was bitter and reassuringly solid. Marvellous. The latte's pretty good as well, though maybe the coffee was very slightly burnt?

Jenowl

WillM, what a lovely description of a pain au chocolat!

WillM

Why thank you. Luckily for the discussion board, my waistline prevents me from trying every item they sell that I would like.

bennyfromtheblok

@ Mirandola - some of his latest works are numbers so guess it can be done. We could also get I Love N4 and other slogans down the road like this <http://spitalfieldslife.com/2010/10/30/further-adventures-of-ben-eine/>;

ActionVerb

Ah, didn't realise the Change sign was his. It has only been vandalised once so far, which isn't too bad really.

Arkady

What an excellent idea.

Ali

They look terrible not particularly grown up graffiti !

Emma

What is grown up graffiti?

Thomas

Good idea, but i'd prefer it if somebody painted the railway bridges. Could even paint on Welcome to Stroud Green.

WillM

"...abandon hope all ye who enter..."

miss annie

'Here be dragons'

Arkady

'Please take your drink indoors after ten thirty'

Ian

What about each shutter on lower SGR having 'wigs' and 'not wigs'.

ShaunG

The new "LOW BRIDGE" on the (low) bridge is an eyesore, and I do wonder how effective this sort of thing is at stopping the occasional crash. If they had to put something on it, I think I'd be more likely to notice "AAAAAGH!!!"

Marquis

WillM - that was a sprayed on a skip on Regina Road a while ago. I did have a little chuckle.

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