An illustrated love letter to London and the vivacious & diverse independent shops that add colour to the Big Smoke
When illustrator Joel Holland was yearning for all the spots in New York he couldn’t visit due to the Covid lockdown, NYC Shopfronts was born. Taking his artist’s palette to London, he’s now created London Shopfronts, an illustrated book which captures the vivaciousness and diversity of the many shops dotted across the city, immortalising them in print.
Complementing Holland’s illustrations are beautiful descriptions by Time Out London-based journalist Rosie Hewitson, offering a soundbite of the history, charm and culture unique to each shop. With a foreword by chef, restaurateur and author Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express, this book is a carefully crafted work of art and a keepsake for lovers of London everywhere.
Featuring over 200 drawings and accompanying descriptions, the illustrated shopfronts range from some of London’s most profiled shops – Hamleys, Fortnum & Mason, Beigel Bake and Daunt Books – to those more intimately known to locals such as Khan’s Bargains and the Peckhamplex cinema. From restaurants, to bookshops, tattoo parlours to florists, London Shopfronts showcases the sheer variety that London retail has to offer; it has something for everyone.
The book, like the city, is divided up as Londoners know it, into the areas of Central, North, East, South, and West, celebrating the rich heritage and mix of cultures within the capital. Whether it’s the smart monochrome tilework of Regency Café or the watercolour flora practically bursting from the windows of florist Bramble & Moss, no two shopfronts are the same, and Holland’s illustrations capture the essential charm of each store.
The perfect coffee table book to swoon over endlessly, as well as the illustrated guide to finding endless gems for eating, dancing, or whiling away the hours, this book is the perfect gift for those who love London and the independent shops which make the city what it is. It is an illustrated love letter to London’s most cherished shops.
Anna Zanetti | anna.zanetti@midaspr.co.uk | +44 075 8312 7515
Hamidah Saleem | hamidah.saleem@midaspr.co.uk | +44 7482 085505
About the Illustrator
Joel Holland is an illustrator who has lived in New York City for over twenty years, currently residing in Manhattan with his wife Ploy and two daughters Ella and Nina. His illustrations have featured in myriad places, including The New York Times, The Guardian, the Apple store, and windows across the world. He is also the illustrator of NYC Storefronts, a homage to New York’s loved and treasured shops. When in London you can find him at one of the locations of Frequency Coffee trying to decide where to eat dinner.
Website: www.jmhillustration.com
Instagram: @joelholland_studio
About the Author
Rosie Hewitson has been Time Out London’s Events Editor since November 2021, and has edited the London newsletter ‘Out Here’ since its inception in June 2022. She writes about queer news, football, music and lifestyle trends for the likes of VICE, British Vogue, The Guardian, The Independent, Metro, Dazed, Refinery29, PinkNews, DIY, Stylist, Huck, Red Bull, ShortList and Glorious. She moved to ‘that London’ from the northeast in 2013 and has since lived in approximately 20,000 house shares around the city and drunk upwards of four million pints at Dalston Superstore.
Website: Rosie Hewitson
Twitter: @ro_hew
