Resolutions, Challenges & Fresh Horizons
January 08, 2022
TLDR: We're staying open and have great things planned for 2022!
A Confession
Yay! It's that time of year again for making well-intentioned promises... but before we reveal ours, I have to admit to already having broken a BIG one last year. As our gorgeous regulars and the devastatingly sexy people who follow @meroretro on IG, FB & Twitter will know: despite committing to closing Mero Retro Dalston last Autumn (for many reasons), when it came down to it - with an enthusiastic buyer standing in front of me offering hard cash - I found I just couldn't part with our beloved shop and all she represents: all the joy she brings us and others every day. So, for those who may not have heard the news: the Mero adventure continues!
Resolutions
We're not just staying open: we're determined to take things up another level. This Spring we'll be adding new styles and colours to our ever-popular lines of mandarin jackets, samue kimono jackets and shing mai trousers. We're working on new designs and will be expanding our range of screen-printed organic cotton T-shirts and mandarin collar shirts; a limited edition run of very special upcycled vintage pieces is in the works and there's lots more in the pipeline. And, as ever, we're busy creating one-off custom pieces on request and, of course, hand-picking beautiful vintage pieces for you.
None of this would be possible without the work of our wonderful team: Alice Revell, Alice Hannah Devine, our seamstress extraordinaire Gulsen Kalacyi and our team in Thailand: Nutti and Tarn - as well as all our network of vintage and Fairtrade suppliers. I'm deeply indebted to them all and to you and our ever-loving Mero Family for all your kind support. 🙏🏽
Challenges
As many of you will know, the small matter of the global pandemic aside, one of the biggest challenges running our shop has been dealing with the rampant petty crime, constant anti-social behaviour and other street-level issues that are part of the fabric of our vibrant, inspiring and deeply-conflicted community and long-ignored corner of east London.
Last May, after years of struggling with the above and in utter desperation I tweeted:
The very next day, to the shock and sadness of our whole community, we learned the following.
The young man who lost his life was Patrick Anzy, a member of the local gang that had for the previous 3.5 years been using our shopfront as their private drug dealing pitch. Despite our - and our neighbours' - best efforts and constant reports to the Police, Hackney Council and our local MP Diane Abbott, their drug dealing activities and the constant shop-lifting by their customers hadn't been addressed in any meaningful way. Our neighbourhood had spiralled into complete lawlessness.
Patrick wasn't a blameless individual but he was a friendly and polite presence in a group containing some very unsavoury individuals. Believe me: I had no choice but to speak to them every day - for years - if only to ask them to move their drinks, speakers and paraphernalia so I could open/close the shop's shutters. Patrick certainly didn't deserve the fate that befell him and his family. In the briefing we received from the Police, we were told he died in a hail of bullets fired from an automatic weapon wielded by a friend of his. Despite the daily headaches and stress they caused me, Patrick and his crew were a part of our community too. They were failed by the System and the consequences were - and continue to be - tragic.
8 months on, I'm happy to report that as far as crack-dealing, shoplifting, street violence and general intimidation go, the situation on Bradbury Street has improved immensely. The streets around the shop look and feel much safer, to the extent that I feel ok leaving our staff in the shop - albeit while keeping a watchful eye via remote CCTV. To the outside observer it might seem our improved circumstances are solely due to the increased visibility of policemen and community enforcement officers since Patrick's murder. While there is some merit in this, the truth is that the focal point of much of that criminal activity has simply moved on: most of it has shifted less than 200 meters down the road to a local park - a place where the Police seem afraid to venture despite our pleas. I still see the same gang members meeting their customers; doing the 'friendly switch' handshake and cycling back and forth with their wares.
All I can say is we're relieved that we're no longer on the bleeding edge of the Frontline and that we can turn our focus back onto what we're actually here to do. However our wider community's problems remain unchanged and that affects us all.
When I decided to keep our shop going I knew it was a case of 'Take it or leave it' and I decided to take it: the good, the bad, the mad and the beautiful. Through years of hard work we've carved a niche for ourselves here - not just in terms of our customer base but as members of this amazing community. We're here and here we intend to stay.
Fresh Horizons
So, what awaits us this new year? Well, as I mentioned we've got a lot planned and we're very excited to be back open again from today with our GO 22 SALE (also running here with 20% discount code: GO22).
Alongside the additions to our current collections we're also working on a couple of designs inspired by pieces from our beloved late founder Sanju's wardrobe. We hope to have the first of these designs ready by this Summer and will add new 'Sanju' pieces as time allows. She had an eye for the eclectic and unfalteringly good taste, so if it takes a bit longer it's because we're determined to do her name justice.
If the past few years have taught us anything it's that anything can happen and that resilience and strength comes from working and living in solidarity and harmony with those around us. What I do know is that we're happy doing what we do and that in itself is an immense privilege. Thank you all for the opportunity to keep on living this way: we don't take it for granted for a moment. Here's to 2022! 🥂🎉🙏🏽❤️
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