Locals in St Margarets, South West London, Share Mixed Feelings About the Growing Number of Coffee Shops and the Impact on Their Neighborhood’s Identity

Coffee Culture on St Margarets High Street

If you take a stroll through St Margarets, a charming area in South West London, especially on a weekend morning, you’ll notice one thing that seems almost universal: takeaway coffee cups in the hands of locals. Whether it’s joggers getting their morning fix, parents pushing strollers, or dog owners out for a walk, everyone’s sipping a coffee.

It’s not hard to see why, considering there are nine coffee shops packed into just 321 meters (about 0.2 miles) of this small high street.

A New Coffee Giant in Town

Until recently, this area boasted ten coffee spots, but last week, one of the independent cafes, Cafe M.A.D., closed its doors.

This was right after Gail’s Bakery, a major player in the UK coffee scene, opened a new branch just a few doors down.

St Margarets, a favorite neighborhood for commuters on their way to Waterloo (only 35 minutes away by train), even has a coffee shop inside the train station—making it technically ten spots if you’re traveling into central London.

A Change in the Local Landscape

The new Gail’s Bakery, with its signature red signs and tempting pastries, took over the space of a family-run greengrocer and florist that had been a staple of the area for years.

Of the remaining eight coffee shops on St Margarets High Street, all are independently owned, except for Harris+Hoole, which is part of the Caffè Nero chain.

The addition of Gail’s means there are now five locations within a five-mile radius, with other branches already in Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington, and Kingston.

The Price of Gentrification?

One local resident, who asked to remain anonymous, shared their frustration, saying, “It’s getting a bit ridiculous.

St Margarets used to have more variety.

You could actually buy useful things here.

Now it feels like a shrine to coffee shops, just like everywhere else.”

However, not everyone is bothered by the abundance of cafes.

A local teenager enjoying a matcha latte from Isaac’s Coffee across from Gail’s remarked on how much choice there is, playfully adding, “Posh people love coffee!” It’s true that coffee is a huge part of daily life for many; nearly two-thirds of the UK population drinks it daily, which adds up to an impressive 95 million cups consumed across the country every single day.

In this area, the demand for coffee is clearly alive and well.

Rising Rents and Changing Faces

The rise in coffee shops, however, has come at the cost of other types of businesses.

The greengrocer and florist, a longtime part of the neighborhood, had to close due to skyrocketing rent increases, something many locals blame on landlords seeking higher profits.

The shop’s closure has made room for Gail’s, which many see as a symbol of gentrification, replacing a once-familiar, family-run business with a trendy café.

Gail’s Bakery, founded by Gail Mejia in the 1990s, has grown rapidly in recent years.

After being bought by Bread Holdings in 2011, the chain has expanded to over 130 locations across England, most of them in Greater London, with plans to add 30 to 40 more in the coming year.

But this expansion hasn’t been without controversy.

In areas like Walthamstow, east London, over 400 people signed a petition to protest the opening of a new branch, citing concerns about preserving the local community’s unique character.

The Debate Over Gentrification

Gail’s has also found itself under fire for other issues, including the removal of historic wooden doors from a listed building in Lewes, a town with roots dating back to the 6th century.

The bakery had opened in a former NatWest bank and replaced the doors with glass ones to fit their modern store design.

This move angered local residents, who accused the company of disregarding the town’s heritage.

As one angry resident put it, “How dare they destroy the history of our proud town?”

Despite these concerns, Gail’s Bakery’s founder, Gail Mejia, dismissed accusations of gentrification, calling such arguments “insane” and “distasteful.

” The rapid expansion of her business reflects a broader trend seen across the UK, but it also raises questions about what gets lost as independent, local businesses give way to national chains in the name of progress.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn