The Next Generation of traders

Harringay has made its mark for the multitude of family business that operate in the area. Here is a sample of the fathers and mothers who have passed on their work to their sons and daughters.

Green Lanes, where there was no single building until 1880, has had a major transformation in its social structure starting from 1960s. Haringey has been one of the favourite settlement spots for the Cypriot immigrants of the former British colony Cyprus Island. These immigrants, particularly those who migrated from the Greek part of the island, became very visible and dominant in the area to an extent that, it was eventually called Green Lanes.  In 1974, following the Turkish military intervention in the island which resulted a separation through a borderline called “The Green Line”, many Turkish Cypriots started to immigrate to Haringey, as well. Those Cypriots who were separated through the “Green Line” in their countries, lived peacefully in Haringey, Green Lanes.

Following the Cypriots, the immigration started from other two former British colonies, Jamaica and the West India, have brought the new settler communities to Haringey. In 1990s, Turkish and Kurdish communities became other dominant communities in the area, particularly through economic means, following the migrations from Turkey.  The area was now called “Little Istanbul” as a result of the shop signs glowing along the streets of Haringey.

In the past few years, one of the major social transformation in Haringey has been due to the businesses and workplaces of the Eastern European immigrants of countries such as Hungary and Poland. Almost 90 percent of the 200 businesses on the road are run by ethnic minority entrepreneurs.

There are only 9 Established businesses have been trading for more than 30 years. These are Salisbury Pub, Cheriee Hairdresser, C.G.Gas Ltd, Lynbo, Yasar Halim, Old Ale, Tao Sports, Chris Pantelli and Maqsood News. Oldest shop on the street, Disney’s Furniture will be closing down in April.

On the other hand, although the shop signs remained the same through years, there has been a striking transformation in profiles of the business managers of Green Lanes.  While some families handed their businesses over to their children, some of them preferred to set up their own businesses again in Green Lanes. Here are some stories from those families and their children who grew up in Haringey and became an entrepreneur to set up their own businesses there:

Bhupat & Shobhana Karia and their sons

Bhupat Karia moved to the UK from Kenya in 1971. He ran a newsagent in Wembley until 1977, and came to Harringay in 1986. The reason they moved to this part of London was the encouragement of his wife’s brother, who ran the Lynbo store in Harringay.

The Karias’ children Paresh and Dipesh have followed their parents’ footsteps into business in Harringay by setting up the Brouhaha Bar. The innovative venue is popular among youngsters. The Karias, meanwhile, still run the Lido DIY shop nearby on Green Lanes.

Shefik Mehmet and his daughter Zeliha

Shefik Mehmet came to London from Cyprus in 1958 and has run the Cherriee Hairdresser on Green Lanes since 1966. His son Nev spent many years working alongside his father and became an expert hairdresser, and is now running a large national firm that provides supplies to hairdressers around the country.

His daughter Zeliha has assumed the day-to-day running of the business, while Shefik, although notionally retired, continues to work for the area as chair of the Harringay Traders Association.

Tassos Achilleos and his son Nick

Nicholas Printers originally opened in Hackney in 1981, but moved to its present spot on Harringay Green Lanes a few years afterwards. When it first opened it served the busy Greek community that lived in the area, printing Greek and English books, magazines and leaflets.

Tasos first moved to the UK from Cyprus in 1974. The business is now run by his son Nick, who left his job in the City to work at the firm that his father named after him.

Nick says that he is delighted to be in Harringay today.

Maqsood Maqsood and his son Ahmed

Maqsood News in Harringay, open for a quarter of a century, was opened by the eponymous Maqsood a few years after he moved to the UK from Pakistan in 1977. His first home was in the Harringay area and the newsagent was opened in 1980, with Maqsood buying it two years later.

He has witnessed the pace of change in the neighbourhood better than most. His shop sells publications not only in English, but in Greek, Turkish, Bengali and other languages, reflecting the cosmopolitan area.

The business today is run by his son Ahmed.

Dr Ahmed Mehri and his son Mesut

Dr Ahmet Mehri moved from Iran to Turkey first and then to Sweden 35 years ago. He and his wife Sevtap decided move to Britain in 1997. They opened a clinic in Harringay in 1998. Their children were very young at the time and it was here that their son Mesut completed his training and became a dentist.

Today the Mehris and their children continue to work out of Duckett Dentals on Green Lanes.

Hasan Yavuz and his son Veysel

Hasan Yavuz first came to London in 1995 and set up the Gökyüzü restaurant four years later. He brought his son Veysel along with him: then aged only fifteen, he divided his time between school and helping his father.

Hasan subsequently handed the business over to his sons and brother. The new generation of management has seen Gökyüzü spread from Harringay to open branches in Wood Green and Chingford.

It is the 32-year-old Veysel who runs the business in Harringay. He says that even though they have plans for investment in other parts of London, their Harringay restaurant is their first love and were hoping to develop it even further.