The London Art Shop

THE owner of a popular art shop that was forced to close after “everything was damaged” in a flood has reassured her customers she is “100 per cent planning to reopen again” later this year. Opened in 1992,

The London Art Shop in Finchley Road closed in November after a severe leak left everything “totally damaged,” according to owner Aleysha Mawani.

Having worked shifts in the shop as a teenager, Ms Mawani inherited the business from her father Sam after his death in 2021.

“We had a really big flood – there was really heavy rain,” she said.

“The next day when I came into the shop, it was so sad. I’d just put the Christmas stuff out, so everything was ready for Christmas. I walked past the shop and looked inside and it looked like the whole window was full of rain. I realised it was inside. I went in and everything in the window – all our new Christmas items – were totally damaged. I just burst out crying.

“When I saw the ceiling, lighting tills and phones [were damaged], I realised: ‘we have to close now’. I didn’t think four or five months later we’d still be closed.

“If it was up to me, I would have done it as quickly as possible. But it’s rented, so it’s up to the landlord. All we can do is wait for them to repair it. Now scaffolding has just gone up, but I’m still to find out when repairs are actually going to start.”

Aleysha Mawani

Ms Mawani is hoping to reopen by summer. The shop, which employs seven people, is still paying its staff.

“I didn’t want any of them to not return when we reopen because they’re amazing staff. So they’re still getting paid and we’re just waiting for reopen­ing,” Ms Mawani said.

She added that customers have been emailing to say how much they love the shop: “I just want to let everyone know we’re 100 per cent planning to reopen again.”

Her father started the business as a stationery shop, slowly becoming a fine art shop.

“It’s such an arty community, with the Hampstead School of Art, the Camden Arts Centre, and all the schools nearby,” she said.

She said that customers often say how lovely her father was and that they really miss him.

“My dad actually never got the art bit, he always managed the shop, did the accounts, served customers – but art was never his thing. Luckily our staff are all artists,” she added.