London West Hampstead advice

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Hi, sorry posting here for more traffic.

AIBU to move my whole family/ life/business here?

I really need advice from anyone who knows the London West Hampstead area.

I am currently thinking of relocating to near Mill Lane NW6. I’m looking for a “naice” area for my family but also want to open an independent boutique-esque shop on the Mill Lane.

From what I can see the lane is quite independent eg. Has a vet/optician/dentist/dry cleaners etc.

but the lack of chain brands eg. Waitrose/Gail’s etc is quite stressing me out as I can’t put my finger on the area at all. No chicken shops or betting shops that I can see…

Is it “naice”? Or is it the rough end that I don’t know about?

AIBU to move my whole life and start my business there?

please help! Any advice welcome.

thank you

Just bumping this as I would love some advice! Thank you.

Any ideas of the demographic of the area?

thanks

Are house prices not a clue?

It’s a bit tricky in London as everything is pricey! Hence I’m getting very confused

There's definitely a Waitrose in West Hampstead (in the fire station just round the corner from Mill Lane). And a Gails.
The upper end as it joins onto West End Lane is traditionally the busiest and it gets quieter the further you go nearer to Kilburn. There are a couple of tower blocks further up.

I think it depends on which end of Mill Lane. It's nicer towards the Hampstead side and West End Lane has a mix of chains and some independent shops. There's definitely a Gail's there. The end is much closer to Kilburn and Cricklewood and is much less nice.

West Hampstead is lovely. I lived there years ago and would live there again like a shot. Lots of independent shops, cafes etc, great transport links. There's a Waitrose at Finchley Rd which is walking distance, and isn't there a Gail's on West End Lane?

Hi OP. I used to live on Mill Lane and have lived in the vicinity of West Hampstead most of my life. West Hampstead is a very nice area and Mill Lane is a naice area, particularly where it goes up into the “Greek streets. The state primary schools (Emmanuel and what used to be known as Beckford) are I believe quite desirable, good transport links (although West End Lane traffic is dreadful) and generally when I lived there it was very peaceful. West End Lane is a great high street (bar the traffic) and has a Gail’s, Waitrose, M&S etc.

But if you’re thinking of opening a shop on Mill Lane I would warn you that it does not have particularly high foot traffic. It’s very quiet. And clothes/accessories shops have never seemed to do well in West Hampstead generally over the last 30 years (only charity and book shops seem to survive). What kind of shop were you thinking of opening?

Niche.

Thank you so so much for all your replies.

The specific area on Mill lane is very close to West Hampstead primary school. Is that the good end or bad end?

It's sort of in the middle. It's quite close to train lines which may or may not bother you but is fairly unavoidable in WH!

It’s a nice-ish area. Not super posh like Hampstead, but decent.

But Mill Lane isn’t really a shopping street. People don’t walk up and down it much unless they live on the nearby streets. West End Lane is much busier and has better footfall because of the tube.

What sort of boutique? Clothes shops haven’t traditionally done well in this area at all.

AIBU to move my whole life and start my business there?

Why would you move never mind start a business in an area you hardly know except for a few opinions from randos on the internet??

I wouldn't think Mill Lane is the right place for your business, however it's a lovely place to live imo. We used to live in Brondesbury/Kilburn which I loved but wasn't as 'naice'. We would have stayed in the area but when we had kids hadn't yet bought and moved out of London so we could.

Yeah agree with this, much better option.

Salusbury Road better for those kind of shops , tbh. Or even Chamberlayne.

My area! We live in a family-size shoebox, mind you.

I love it! I miss London a lot. It wouldn't have worked for us long term due to finances but I do miss it. Until recently (traffic is now ridiculous) we would drive up instead of train and park on our old road when going to London.

I'm nosily trying to guess where you lived now! Were you Kilburn Park end or Kilburn Kilburn (going by tube station location)?

i've lived in west hampstead for 8+ years and I think it is a great area - very family friendly and excellent transport connections.

as above, Mill Lane is not much of a shopping destination, so your shop would have to be unique enough that people make an effort to go there. West End Lane is much better for passing trade.

have you 'walked' the streets on Google Maps to get a good look at the other shops around? there are a few clothes boutiques on West End Lane but I don't know if they make money.

have you run a business before? If not, this is a very high risk option. do you have a backup if the business doesn't work out?

Also, IDK if you have kids and what age, but the secondary options are less than amazing. The really good Camden ones are all a bit far to get places and the less good options are a bit hmm.

If you can go private it's not an issue. But my DD1 is going to secondary next year and she's a bit of a sensitive soul. She was seriously not keen on Hampstead, etc.

NC for this as outing but have lived in W Hampstead for 11 years and agree with all that’s said above.

The main shopping street is West End Lane where there is a little Waitrose, a Gail’s, Cafe Nero etc. Mill Lane has some good independent businesses towards the West End Lane end, such as a florist (I remember when it was Achillea), a wine merchant, posh carpet shop, picture framer. I wouldn’t say though that it was a place I’d expect to see a clothing boutique. You’d do better on West End Lane for that and even West End Lane is not an obvious destination for clothes. Clothes are so subjective that you might not please everyone, so you have to be confident there will be enough footfall browsing for clothes to be sure you will find an audience. I am not sure West Hampstead is that place.

Property is very expensive now. It’s gone up a lot since we moved and we couldn’t now afford the house we own. Can’t say much about schools as we have no kids but Emmanuel primary is meant to be good. Public transport links are excellent as you have tube, overground and Thameslink.

Good luck with your search!

'Kilburn' Kilburn. In between Kilburn tube/Brondesbury and Brondesbury Park. The bit that started to be referred to as 'East Queens Park' on property listings shortly before we moved! 😂

Ah, you were in our bit (between Salusbury Road and Kilburn High Road, right?). Our closest tube actually is Queen's Park, so they have an excuse to call it that!