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Passage is alive and kicking
• IN the antiques and specialist shopping community of Camden Passage, we have often been grateful for the responsible reporting of our highs and lows by the Tribune. So it was a shock to see the front- page headline boldly proclaiming “End of the road for the Passage” (June 8).
Fortunately, this only meant your headline-writer had not properly read Peter Gruner’s report which followed, because he only went so far as to say that our death “appeared a step closer”, in view of the possible impending sale of the lease of the Mall antiques gallery.
The situation of the 20 traders in the Mall may not be clarified for some time, and there are still hopes for an outcome which will preserve the rich diversity of small, specialist shops in their present form.
Achieving the ultimate in high rentals is not everything, and, as the Tribune report says, the Mall is the jewel in Camden Passage’s crown. It is one which Islington – and the present owner – may be justly proud of.
It is the jewel not only in our crown but also in Beyonce’s, because the pop diva is claimed to have bought her crystal jewels for the recent Oscar ceremony in one of the Mall’s most original shops.
But if the Mall is the jewel in the crown, it is only because it is such a concentrated example of the variety found throughout Camden Passage, which is our greatest strength. This means the essence of Camden Passage will survive even if there are changes in the Mall, as we have survived closures and embraced changes in retail fashions.
So our message is that reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. Camden Passage will continue to be a unique resource for Islington and the wider world. Please, no more obituaries – Camden Passage is alive and kicking.
KAREN MURDOCH
Camden Passage Association |
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