South Bristol has a strong reputation for sustaining a high street dominated by independents. Residents have grown to develop a fiercely loyal relationship with local businesses along its high streets, like North Street and East Street.
Once the robust home of the tobacco industry in the early 20th century, it has become a hub for hipster coffee shops, brunch spots and independent clothing lines - with the Tobacco Factory building growing from a theatre company to housing its own café bar in the early 2000s. The street was named the most gentrified street in Bristol in a 2018 survey, a trend thought to have commenced around the 1980s amid nationwide house price rises.
Veteran Bedminster business owner, Derek Knapman of Lion Stores, celebrated the shop’s 50th anniversary this year and has seen the area evolve over the past few decades. He cited the arrival of The Lounge, a popular cafe and coffee shop, as one of the turning points of the area.
