Every Sunday London’s Columbia Road comes alive as flower and plant sellers occupy this charming street. The flower market fills the street forcing crowds to squeeze past each other as they explore a wonderful array of independent shops. The Victorian shopfronts are a stunning example of shops from that era. Many use traditional painted wooden shutter when their shops are closed.
On a perfectly sunny Sunday in early March 2020 (pre-Covid!) The Lifestyle Editor and I were fortunate to visit the bustling Columbia Road Flower Market. Columbia Road shops are made for browsing. There are vintage and antique shops, artists and artisan shops, a perfumery, womenswear and children’s shops, and of course plenty of coffee and food shops.
Like many retail destinations, on a more recent visit I discovered that some of the shops had changed hands. Shops come and go, but I was sad that the wonderful Jessie Chorley and A Portuguese Love Affair had closed. Charlie Borrow has relocated to nearby Virginia Road, and the wonderful Straw is a welcome addition to Columbia Road.
There are so many unique Columbia Road shops with beautiful shopfronts. My only regret was due to the crowds and plant displays capturing these shop facades was an impossibility. I’m looking forward to a returning on a quieter weekday to fully admire and photograph these storefronts.
Find all these shops on The Shopkeepers Map: London
COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKET
Open every Sunday 8am – 2pm
GLITTERATI
146 Columbia Road
Vintage and antique homewares, jewelry, books, women’s clothing and accessories crowd this delightful magpie’s haven
JACK GARCIA
150 Columbia Road
Coffee shop serving a variety of espresso drinks, teas, pasties in sandwiches.
VOUT VINTAGE
95 Columbia Road
Modern, stylish and versatile vintage women’s clothing and accessories. Vout Vintage gives new life to vintage pieces.
MASON & PAINTER
67 Columbia Road
A delightful emporium that mixes vintage furniture and homewares with plants. Mason & Painter, one of The Shopkeepers Best 10 Vintage & Antique Shops, specializes in French garden furniture and planters. Read More
LILY VANILLI
6 The Courtyard, Ezra Street
Tucked in at the end of a courtyard off Ezra Street, behind Columbia Road, is the popular bakery and coffee shop, Lily Vanilli. Go early – the day we visited they closed early as they had sold out.
BEN SOUTHGATE
4 The Courtyard, Ezra Street
Vintage and antique furniture and home decor goods dating from 1900 -1950. Tucked in a courtyard off Ezra Street, behind Columbia Road, Ben Southgate has a diverse mix of useful, beautiful and quirky things for the home.
MILAGROS
61 Columbia Road
Artist and artisan goods from Mexico. Handmade tiles and ceramics, baskets, glassware, decorative tin ware and folk art.
IN BLOOM
152 Columbia Road
A large range of pots and planters for all your plants needs.
BOB & BLOSSOM
140 Columbia Road
The cutest assortment of a softly-colored rainbow of tutus and T-shirts. Bob & Blossom also has an amazing range of accessories, toys and books.
CAFE COLUMBIA
138 Columbia Road
Cozy cafe specializing in bagels. Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday
PAVILLION BAKERY
130 Columbia Road
Delicious sourdough bakery known for its Sri Lankan breakfast. Pavillion also offers local deliveries of essentials to pair with their coffee and bread.
WORLD OF ECHO
128 Columbia Road
Not your typical new and used record shop. World of Echo is a modern, light and airy space.
STRAW
126 Columbia Road
Vintage straw, wicker, home goods and gifts. Unique, one-off pieces with a story. See more
HARRY BRAND
122 Columbia Road
A small independent gift shop with something for everyone. Harry Brand specializes in beautiful pure woolen throws, Cornish scented candles, books about London and for kids, cuddly toys, unusual socks, a wide range of greetings cards, and gift wrap.
THE GARDEN SHOP
120 Columbia Road
Plants, gardening tools and a friendly, educated staff.
WE ARE ARROW
118 Columbia Road
A jewelry collection of small wearable treasures ethically produced using responsibly sourced materials. Each piece is designed and made by hand in We Are Arrow’s Columbia Road studio/shop.
H. M. JONES
114 Columbia Road
Vintage & antique furniture and home accessories.
J. H. LEE
116 Columbia Road
British-grown cut flowers from the garden of England. Zero plastic, chemicals and air miles.
COLENIMO
110a Columbia Road
Colenimo offers timeless, classic womenswear and accessories made in the U.K. Read more
NOM
102 Columbia Road
Handcrafted unique homeware & accessories for home, kitchen, bathroom. Nom has a beautiful selection of rustic stoneware ceramics, baskets and wooden spoons.
ANGELA FLANDERS
96 Columbia Road
Award-winning artisan perfumery, offering exclusive niche perfumes and scented candles. Angela Flanders unique fragrances are created and produced in their own studio at their Columbia Road shop.
UNDERLEAF
94 Columbia Road
Plant shop and planting experts creating green spaces for shops, events and restaurants.
VINTAGE HEAVEN
82 Columbia Road
Vintage homewares and furniture with Cake Hole Cafe in the rear of the shop.
OYSTER BOY
Ezra Street
Crowds overflow from Columbia Road onto Ezra Street where Oyster Boy plies his trade shucking oysters every Sunday.
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