By Lizzie Wood
Like a child who has stolen a cookie from the biscuit tin, Shoreditch is a gleeful, tell-your-mum-you’re-at-a-sleepover-when-you’re-actually-at-a-party location. Full of decadent cake shops, bustling markets, vibrant graffiti pieces and ethereal fashion, it is London’s secret all-nighter where those who step across its border are transformed into a magical glade full of mischief and possibility.
While bankers and businessmen may go about their daily business behind the industrial grey exterior of the city, a few steps nearby, something exciting and yet-to-be-discovered will be happening in the depths of Shoreditch. It might be a secret underground dub-step party or a vintage Channel dress with a story behind it just itching to be discovered. You may walk around spending hours trying to find a boutique you visited on your last visit, only to discover it has been replaced by a pop-up restaurant only serving bread-based dishes. Next week it will be a tattoo parlour or vintage hairdressers.
One of my favourite Shoreditch-stops is the plimsoll store on Cheshire Street; the heart of antiques and trinkets. With signs like ‘the devil wears Prada but the people wear plimsolls,’ it has the same prices since my first visit five years ago and remains consistently friendly. Just around the corner lies a myriad of restaurants with windows flung open, beanbags to sit on and steaming bowls of hot dhal on offer. Further round the corner yet and you might stumble across a bike shop, an outside dance class or a new gallery. Wherever you feet take you, there’s always something happening.
And that’s the beautiful thing about Shoreditch; every corner has the potential of a lucky dip and the guaranteed outcome of a prize. With Shoreditch, you always win.
Lizzie Wood Bio
Lizzie Wood grew up in East London and is a self-professed Shoreditch-junkie. In particular, she is interested in street art and fashion. Lizzie recently graduated from the University of Nottingham in Ancient History and currently works for a Public Relations agency which provides her with the opportunity to write on a daily basis; from press releases, thought leadership and opinion pieces to email pitches and well-placed tweets. Lizzie is 21 years old.
