Hoe Street

Waltham Forest Borough Council

Low-budget, high-impact improvements for ten retail frontages in Walthamstow

Fieldwork Facility worked with ten businesses in Walthamstow's Hoe Street to improve their retail frontages. The project for Waltham Forest Borough Council is part of an ambitious and comprehensive regeneration programme that is improving nine local high streets throughout Waltham Forest.

Our brief was to work closely with ten locally orientated businesses, understand their needs and see how shopfront improvements can increase opportunities for business. Throughout all the shops we strove to smarten appearances and celebrate independent businesses for their idiosyncrasies. We helped re-establish each shop's purpose through clearer communication; finally we decluttered years of redundant signage giving the streetscape room to breathe and making Hoe Street a more inviting place.

  • communication: Retail frontages / Identity / Signage & Wayfinding / Campaign / Posters / Applied Graphics / Environments / Typography & Type Design
  • experience: Placemaking
  • technology: Internet of Things / Interactive Environments / Hyperlocal Services
Be Smart Dry Cleaners, 18 Hoe Street
Be Smart's strongest feature is a tailor at work, animating the shopfront's window. We designed a bespoke typeface and pattern for the business based on a stitch and thread
Be Smart Dry Cleaners 'before' and 'after'
Moonlight, 13 Hoe Street
We removed the shopfront's mixed messages and celebrated the family ownership with Turkish patterns incorporating 'moon phases' and moonlight colours.
A new Tesco express opened around the corner damaging business. We positioned the grocery store as 'a little corner supermarket', locally minded and independent in spirit. Professional but with a personal touch
Point-Of-Sale communications play on timezones with hand written communications
For A–boards and local press ads we designed a playful ad format making 'Moons' out of circular products sold in the store
Moonlight 'before' and 'after'
Omar Barber Salon, 16 Hoe Street
Omars 'before' and 'after'
The Office of Bodyart Tattooing, 70 Hoe Street
The Office of Bodyart Tattooing is the tattoo parlour of Terry Oldham; one of Londons longest working tattoo artists. Terry is a really intriguing character who suffers no fools, his craft has seen him travel the world, notably Terry was one of the first ever foreigners to be granted membership to the Tattoo Club of Japan
A new identity was designed for the business, the mondokoro is a rising sun made of needles and inkdrops
Terry beleives that all the mystery about Tattooing is gone nowadays. The 'shopfront' is a careful amalgamation of elements to create intrigue and keep away time-wasters. The 'shopfront' celebrates Terry’s no-nonsense attitude and pulls out his tone of speech in all communications
The Office of Bodyart Tattooing 'before' and 'after'
Ashlins Natural Health, 181 Hoe Street
Light therapy on Hoe Street is an experiment to engage a younger audience passing by Ashlins. In hot weather the lights shine cool colours and in cold weather the lights shine warm, at all times the lights offer a blast of melatonin to ward off Seasonal Affective Disorder. You can follow what the lights are doing on twitter @Ashlins_Lights
Ashlins 'before' and 'after'
CHAPS, 80 Hoe Street
Chaps 'before' and 'after'
Eco Vivo, 70 Hoe Street
Eco Vivo 'before' and 'after'
AC Motors, rear of 70 Hoe Street
Abstracted elements of British road signs created a smart and more visible presence on Hoe Street for AC Motors which is located off of the main road
AC Motors, 'before' and 'after'
Victoria 2, 246 Hoe Street
Victoria 2 'before' and 'after'

A comprehensive case–study is available on request detailing how Fieldwork Facility worked with each of the ten shops.

Fieldwork Facility's ten Hoe Street Shops where commissioned by Ashley McCormick Projects and East Architects for Waltham Forest Borough Council.

Fieldwork Facility contributed to a similar programme in Willesden; producing the project Food for Thought.