How two dads saved a beloved wine shop from closure
Plus: An Oasis tribute band, a lecture on art and the Cold War, and advice after a fire breaks out in New Malden
Good morning, Wimblers — I hope everyone is well! Spring has sprung, or at least it feels like it. I, for one, am loving this new spate of sunshine … It makes everything feel a little peppier.
Thank you to all of you who took part in our survey. The team and I will take a look at all of your responses and ideas and see what new avenues we can pursue. Do keep sharing the Wimble so that we can reach as many people as possible!
This week’s main feature is about one of Wimbledon’s lesser known new openings: The Artisans Depot. The Artisans Depot was a beloved shop in Wimbledon Chase before co-owners Phil and Rob bought the place late last year to save it from extinction. On Friday, I popped down to meet Phil and talk about everything from his favourite British cheeses to the unique vibe of Wimbledon’s quieter suburb, Wimbledon Chase. Scroll down to read more and to see what offers they have coming up.
The Artisans Depot is also offering Wimble readers a free drink (a glass of wine, prosecco or beer) with any bottle of wine they purchase before March 16. Don’t miss out!
We’ve also got your usual new snippets, a hefty list of recommendations, and another jaw-dropping property of the week.
Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🚸 This week, it was announced that over 90% of Merton’s children are being offered a place at one of their top three choices for secondary schools. Councillor Sally Kenny said: “The significant preference for Merton’s secondary schools reflects the trust parents have in the outstanding quality of education on offer within the borough … We also kindly remind parents to respond to their offer by 14 March.” Read more in Merton’s press release.
Speaking of education in Merton, news also broke this week that every school in Merton now has “good” or even better judgments from Ofsted, making Merton one of only eight boroughs in the nation to reach such a milestone. Read all about the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure that children and families are at the heart of the council’s decision making here.
⚽️ The Golf Groove Wimbledon gets a shiny new upgrade: The Sports Groove Arena! The Golf Groove, located on the top floor of Wimbledon Quarter, is branching out beyond golf. Players can now step off the golf course and step onto the football pitch, ice rink, bowling alley or tennis court. Check out Wimbledon’s newest activity here.
🔥 A fire caused by an electric heater broke out at a New Malden home on Tuesday morning, prompting the London Fire Brigade to issue a reminder of their heating safety advice. A spokesman for LBF said: “The rise in energy costs means there’s a very real risk of heating-related fires … It’s absolutely vital that heaters are kept well away from curtains, furniture, paperwork and are never used to dry clothes.” A man was rescued from the first floor of his New Malden home as firefighters battled the blaze. Read all about it on Yahoo! News.
If you have any news that you think we should share, please drop a comment below:
Property of the week 🏡
This is what we like to call a “hybrid property”. Retaining its original 19th century exterior, the inside of this period home has been completely modernised. Those glass windows with the black metallic frames are reminding me of Bruce Wayne’s Batcave in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. Is that just me? Either way, it’s a stunning home, and one should hope so for just under £4m. Head here to salivate over some more photos.
The Wimble’s to do list 🧥
🎤 Definitely Oasis — considered by their fans to be the best Oasis tribute band in the world, Definitely Oasis are bringing a slice of Manchester to Wimbledon next week. (But hopefully not Liam’s bad boy attitude). With the real Oasis’s tour set to kick off this summer, this is your chance to get a bit of pre-Gallagher-reunion excitement. Ticket prices vary and can be bought here.
Where: New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Thursday, 13 March, 7:30 PM - onwards
🎨 Art Below 2025 Spring Show — In March, Art Below and Ad Lib Gallery will be showcasing artworks across a number of London tube stations and billboards. To coincide with this, they will also be exhibiting works by many of the participating artists at the Ad Lib Gallery in Wimbledon Village. Read more about it here.
Where: Ad Lib Gallery
When: Thursday, 27 February - Sunday, 16 March
🕵️♀️ Tinker, Tailor, Canvas Chair: How Modernism became a Cold War Secret Agent — This lecture is all about art and espionage, and it hopes to answer some of the world’s stranger questions: Did the CIA use Abstract Expressionism as a secret weapon in the Cold War? Would Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko be forgotten today were it not for this subterfuge? Joins James Vaux for an evening of secrets, lies and canvasses. Tickets can be bought here.
Where: Sacred Heart Church Hall (also on Zoom)
When: Wednesday, 12 March, 8:00 PM (coffee at 7:30 PM)
🎻 Academy Choir Concert: Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem — You’re in for a treat for this month’s concert. “At the centre of this programme is Brahms’s German Requiem,” says a representative from Wimbledon Academy Choir. “…He throws aside all the conventional rules to create a profound, deeply personal statement about sorrow and hope.” Tickets are £35/£25/£20 and can be bought on their website.
Where: Sacred Heart Church
When: Saturday, 8 March, 8:00 PM
👖 Denim Workshop @ un-common — Get yourself down to the un-common shop’s very first denim / trouser styling morning. Tickets are £10 and include a lovely breakfast prepared by @cookdbyh. Pop in to the shop to secure your place.
Where: Un-common, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday, 7 March, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
‘I think Wimbledon Chase is very family orientated and has a really special community feel to it’: In conversation with Wimbledon’s newest wine bar 🍷
The Artisans Depot has been a beloved shop in Wimbledon’s lesser known suburb, Wimbledon Chase, for years. So when its previous owner announced it was closing last year, two local dads — Phil and Rob — decided to step in and buy the place. Now, The Artisans Depot is reshaping its image. The wine list has significantly expanded, a wide range of delicious British cheeses have been brought in, they have added more local breweries to their craft beer selection, and their license has been extended to turn The Artisans Depot into a wine bar. On Friday, I caught up with Phil to talk about life in Wimbledon Chase, catering to their local community, and the importance of supporting “local” and British. Also, be sure to check out their Instagram and email them here: hello@artisansdepot.co.uk.
The Artisans Depot is also offering Wimble readers a free drink (a glass of wine, prosecco or beer) with any bottle of wine they purchase before March 16. Don’t miss out!
Let’s start with the basics: Why did you and Rob decide to take over this place?
So Rob and I purchased the shop in December. Neither of us had ever thought about owning a wine shop before the end of November last year, so it was a really quick turnaround. Rob and I had both been coming here for years and we’d always liked the vibe of the shop. Both of us live less than a few hundred metres away and we were keen for the shop to survive because the area is desperately in need of local shops which help to create a local community vibe. Of course, it helps that we both very much enjoy drinking wine, but we don’t have any formal training. Buying this place was a very quick decision; we saw the potential to get the bar license, to make it bigger and better, and to keep having that connection with the locals.
How has the local response been?
The response from our customers and local community has been fantastic and we have been overwhelmed with the positive support which we’ve received. It’s certainly a change from the demanding and pressurised corporate worlds that we both come from. Here, everyone is so nice. People want the shop to succeed. They like having an alternative to the pub, and the residents around here have been talking about wanting a wine bar for ages. We’ve already had our first wine tasting — the second one is actually this evening — which was a huge success.
A big part of your ethos is “locality” — can you explain what that means for you?
It’s a few things, really. There are wine shops in the village, but their price points are often inaccessible to a lot of people. We don’t want that here. We sell wines from £12 to £100. We want to cater for everybody in our community and for all price brackets, not just those with a bit more cash. We’d equally like to sell a £15 bottle of wine once a week as much as a £40 bottle of wine once a month.
But it’s also about supporting other local businesses. Our beer stock is all local … apart from one: Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone lager — which, to be fair, is actually very good. But everything else is local. We’re supporting the Drop Project in Mitcham, Signal from Croydon, Battersea’s Sambrook, the Wimbledon Brewery, Brixton Brewery, and we’re probably going to bring in Kingston’s Park Brewery. It’s a key focus for us to support local, independent and British businesses. That’s why you’ll see British cheeses and Ralph’s black hummus in the fridge. People come in just for the black hummus and tapenade. And it’s truly delicious. Ralph is only a stone’s throw away in Surbiton. You know, there are hundreds of hummus brands, but I think people like it when the brands that you stock are ones that support local businesses.
Would you say that Wimbledon Chase has a particularly strong sense of community?
I think Wimbledon Chase has a very family orientated vibe to it, even more so than the rest of Wimbledon. It’s not as transient as other parts of SW19. We used to live just off Queen’s Road and it felt like people left the minute you got to know them. Everyone tends to stay for a long time in Wimbledon Chase. It’s partially because it’s a bit cheaper than some other areas of Wimbledon, but it’s also because of the schools. Families move in when their children are young and then they stay.
So having the locals’ support is key for your success?
Absolutely! James [the manager] is very friendly, and I think we’ve got a relaxed, friendly and chilled vibe here. People are incredibly open with us, and we’re able to help them out. It’s about listening to the needs of our customers. A week or so ago, we had a customer pop in and ask if we stocked any low-alcohol red wines. We didn’t, so I had a chat with one of our main distributors and ordered a highly rated 10% merlot — which, if you know merlot, is a very low ABV.
[As we’re talking, a customer walks in and purchases six bottles of wine] It’s encouraging to see such good footfall for a Friday lunchtime.
[Gesturing as the customer leaves the shop] That’s one of our new regulars. He’s a great customer and comes in all the time. He’s just really lovely. I told James to give him a bottle of prosecco today as a way of saying thank you for his support — and also because he told us last week that he was finishing a big project at work today.
That’s really what we’re trying to do here: cater for the locals. I don’t think you can get a more local shop than us.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I named four American celebrities and asked you which one was born in Wimbledon. 18% chose Steve Perry; 24% chose Alec Baldwin; 32% chose George Lucas; and 27% chose Steve-O. The answer: Steve-O. For those of you not familiar with Steve-O’s work, he was one of the key figures from what now seems like a rather ancient and infamous series of shows and films called Jackass.
Q: Though not a Wimbledon related question, I’m keen to understand how well our readers know their city’s restaurants. Which of these establishments is the oldest restaurant in London:
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. If you liked it, then please do share our newsletter with your friends, family and anyone else with access to the internet. Have a great rest of the week! I’ll see you next time.
Another fantastic, insightful, and interesting column. I will most def be checking out the wine spot in WC.
Wimbledon giving Selling Sunset a run for its money!