Asking the founders of Little Places 'Where Do You Go?'
The brains behind the platform that champions independent businesses tell us about the London places they love
Every now and again we like to ask people for their personal take on London. We get them to tell us the places in the city that they turn to for different reasons: the spots that excite them, inspire them, make them feel calm, happy or just make them want to spend money. We call it ‘Where do you go?’.
This week it’s the turn of the founders of Little Places (above), one of the most useful and impressive platforms to come out of lockdown.
Who are you?
We are Kyra and Jason. We’re the founders of Little Places, a curated platform for discovering independent places and brands in London.
And why should we trust you?
When we started Little Places, we never declared ourselves as a trustworthy source but the response we’ve had over the last 18 months suggests that people do trust us. We can only carry on as we are, keep listening to our audience and try to stay relevant.
Where did the inspiration come from for Little Places? You seemed to get it up and running very quickly into lockdown.
When lockdown hit in 2020, we noticed that many local businesses were switching up their offering. We really felt their struggle and wanted to show them some support. Many of these businesses were so integral to our daily lives, and we just couldn’t imagine not having them around coming out of lockdown.
Kyra started sharing some of our favourite local independent businesses on her Instagram stories and it was really well received amongst friends. One of our close friends suggested we turn this into a website. Little did he know, we had already built the backbone for something like this a few years earlier.
A few summers ago, we were struggling to find a tool that helped us track the places that we love and/or wanted to visit. We knew there were discovery platforms already but we felt that a lot of them were overwhelming and not bespoke to independent businesses. Jason is a designer, so we thought we’d take a stab at creating our own platform. It was originally going to be called ’some places’. At the time, we had too many other things going on (buzzing social life, work, travel etc) and the project fell by the wayside.
When we went into lockdown, it was the perfect opportunity to revive it. It took us a couple of late nights and we repurposed the site to be version one of what you now know as Little Places.
The past eighteen months seem to have been a double-edged sword for small, independent businesses. Some have adapted and come out the other side while others haven't survived. What are your hopes for these businesses now?
Lockdown forced us to stay in our homes and local area, and even prompted some people to move further away from the city. We believe this meant local businesses (often independent businesses) played a bigger role than they had done previously and that it put more value in localised communities. The support that people have shown for small businesses, and small businesses have shown for each other has been extremely heartwarming and we think that’s only going to increase.
Our hopes are that they can stay strong and not be crushed by big tech companies. Thanks to so many new tools, it’s now much more approachable to create your own platform - whether that be a website, an app or a delivery service. An example of this is Big Night (above), a delivery platform run by a local restaurateur and his team that champions independently owned restaurants and makes sure that everyone they work with is treated with dignity.
No doubt the big players are a force to be reckoned with, but they wanted to create something that was more than just squeezing margins - the independent supporting the independent.
(Editors note: See last week’s issue on dark kitchens for more on this.)
Little Places was obviously established to help people get through lockdown in a way that helped local businesses. As restrictions ease where do you want to take the platform next?
We’ve spent many late nights talking about this and definitely have ambitions to take it to the next level but at the moment, we’re both working full time so this is purely a passion project.
An app, a book, a space, a creative collaborative platform are some of the ideas we’ve spoken about. We’re really enjoying the way it’s running now and how naturally it intertwines with our everyday life. We love being able to tell the stories behind independent businesses in a creative way and whatever we decide to do next, that will always be at the core.
On to the usual questions... Where do you go to have a great time?
Hackney Wick. We're there all the time. The sense of community and variety in the different offerings is great. Some of our favourites in the area include Crate, Howling Hops (above) and Two More Years.
Where do you go that can never close down, because if it does you might cry?
Mae & Harvey. We've always been big fans and we were lucky enough to move close to it just before lockdown hit. They've been our go-to for coffee, brunch and almond croissants.
Where do you go to cheer yourself up?
Tom's Pasta (above). It's not a place exactly, but when we've had a long week, Tom's Pasta is the perfect cure.
Where do you go to impress someone?
Silo. We have so much respect for this place. We love how sustainability is at the core of everything they do. Dining there is an amazing experience and proves how being sustainable is achievable without comprising on quality.
Where do you go that's within walking distance of your house?
East London Liquor (above). Their indoor and outdoor space is unbelievably beautiful. We've had a few meals there and as big gin lovers, we just can't stay away.
Where do you go to be romantic?
The Allotment Kitchen. It's set in a beautiful outdoor space on Stepney City Farm and is a farm-to-fork cafe and restaurant. The atmosphere is calm and inviting, the food (presentation included) is top notch and the ladies that run it are so wonderful!
You can follow Little Places on Instagram here.
If you know of anyone that you think would make a good interview for our ‘Where do you go?’ series then let us know on Londoninbits@gmail.com.