ISSUE 01
EVERYTHING INDEPENDENT 2026
EVERYTHING INDEPENDENT 2026
OUR FAVOURITE SHOPS THE FACE - the sharpest of 60’s clothing. 25 D’Arblay Street W1F 8EJ.
KIOSK
Issue 01: 2026
10.
SHŌTENGAI
16.
LONDON’S BEST KIOSKS
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KIOSK ROUNDTABLE No.1: THE BAKERS
26.
THINGS WE LIKE
28.
YOU CAN’T PUT A PRIC£ ON THAT
30.
HOW TO LOSE YOUR MIND WORKING IN FOOD
38.
BEYOND THE STORE
42.
A SITE OF RITUAL
46.
NEW FACES
56.
52 TEXTS ABOUT THINGS
60.
KIOSK’S GUIDE TO SHEPHERD’S BUSH MARKET
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WE NEED INDY BUSINESSES & CREATIVES TO USE AI, HERE’S WHY
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KIOSK.WORLD
70.
MEET YOUR MAKER
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TATTOOS COULD SAVE THE HIGH STREET
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BREAKFAST WITH KIOSK: TERRI MERCIECA
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‘IT’S A VERY GOOD TIME TO BE AN INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER OF LITERARY FICTION’
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RETAIL THERAPY
FOUNDER’S LETTER James Bowthorpe Welcome to Kiosk magazine, a celebration of everything independent! Out twice a year in print, this is 100 pages of new writing, photography and illustration that platforms independent makers, doers and businesses of every size. It seems incredible, but London currently has no magazine that represents the independent businesses that make it such a great place to live, work and play. We are filling that gap.
We’re interested in the big picture (Christine Murray investigates social value in ‘You Can’t Put a Price On That’, p28) and the extremely niche (Caffs Not Cafes Isaac Rangaswami visits ‘London’s Best Kiosks’, p16). We like debate: is AI a transformative tool that can work for independents, if we get involved in its development (see researcher Flynn Devine’s ‘We Need Indy Businesses & Creatives to Use AI’, p64), or an existential threat to creatives everywhere (artist Babak Ganjei’s cri de coeur ‘Meet Your Maker’, p70)? YOU DECIDE.
We’re telling the stories behind the enterprises on high streets and back streets, in studios and sheds. We want you, our readers, to discover new ideas brought to life and old favourites revived We are a small business, too. Kiosk magazine is part of Kiosk.World, our platform for creating and sustained with love and effort. places that support micro and small businesses, We want to spotlight the communities and and both are a part of Applied Research Creative networks that are being built by our friends and Studio. We’re in our 10th year, we’re a B Corp and neighbours to support themselves and each other our mission is to create places that are better IRL. Kiosk is an excellent read for anyone that for people. likes cool stuff, good ideas and keeping tax revenue onshore. We are happy to partner with anyone who shares our love of micro and small independent We know it’s hard work to run a record shop businesses. This issue is supported, in part, by (Chris Waywell meets Dash The Henge Store’s Xero, the accounting software we use to run Chris and Tim for ‘A Site of Ritual’, p42) or things – Xero is the most loved accounting host a supper club (Hope Cunningham lays software in the UK, so we’re not alone*. If you’d it all out in ‘How to Lose Your Mind Working like 90% off Xero for six months, scan the code. in Food’, p30), and we want to know why and how it’s done. We covet beautiful objects and love collecting them (‘Things We Like’ p 26); we also want to know who is behind these treasures (‘New Faces’, p46). Terms Apply
We’re meeting people on the first leg of their hero’s journey (four new starters talk about turning a culinary obsession into a career for ‘Kiosk Roundtable: The Bakers’, p20), and those several years into changing the fundamentals of their industry (Happy Endings’ Terri Mercieca sits down for ‘Breakfast with Kiosk’, p78).
We’ve had a blast making this magazine and we hope you enjoy it. If you’d like to contribute to the next issue or work with us in another way, please get in touch at magazine@kiosk.world Until next time, James and the Kiosk team
*Independent, brand-blind survey of 12,160 small businesses, Aug 2024-Jul 2025
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CONTRIBUTORS
ISAAC RANGASWAMI is a writer based in London, who runs the wildly popular Instagram account @caffs_not_cafes, celebrating the city’s oldest caffs, and the newsletter Wooden City where he writes mostly about London’s pubs, shops, restaurants and public spaces. Taking the title of the magazine as a starting point, Isaac writes about a selection of London’s curious kiosks for issue one.
BABAK GANJEI is a London-based visual artist, comic book writer, novelist, musician and radio presenter. Inspired by the music and comedy of the 1990s, Babak’s work is energetic, unpredictable and darkly funny. A Central Saint Martins graduate, Babak has continued to share his inner monologue through his art. His essay for Kiosk issue one dives deep into the big questions: why make art? When should you support your local high street? How do you choose a video for a Friday night on the sofa? His debut novel, On The Bus Without A Phone, is out now, published by Rough Trade Books. HOPE CUNNINGHAM is the founder and editor of chicken + bread magazine, where culinary creativity meets cultural celebration. Through captivating visuals and compelling stories, the magazine celebrates heritage and innovation within communities often overlooked in mainstream narratives. In Kiosk issue one, Hope breaks down what it takes to bring her ideas to life off the page for her first ever supper club, and considers what it means to welcome customers as guests to eat the food she prepares.
SAMME SNOW is a London-based artist and illustrator with a playful, curious and fun style, his detailed characters spark joy and connection. Samme specialises in open, accessible Colouring Workshops: creative sessions where people of all ages are invited to draw together. In this issue, he visits Shepherd’s Bush Market for ‘Geographies’, Kiosk’s guide to the best shopping and eating neighbourhoods in the capital.
TERRI MERCIECA is an accomplished dessert chef, artisan chocolatier and founder of Happy Endings – a proudly values-led desserts business who are fiercely committed to inclusivity and not afraid to shake things up. Kiosk meets Terri to talk about what it takes to create, build and lead a small business to victory and stay sane while doing it.
KIOSK MAGAZINE
KIOSK Editor Nadja Coyne Design and Art Direction iya studio Director, Matt Cottis Designer, Jake Bailey Designer, Harry Kitchin Designer, Daniela Parella Subeditor Alice Snape For Kiosk.World and a-r-c-s Founder James Bowthorpe Project Lead Clare Stentiford Kiosk N1C Lead Abigail Caitlin Ghent Markets Manager Jack Fittes Kiosk Greenford Quay Manager Karl Knarr Content Qozeem Lawal Place Lead Nick Vergara
09 For more information: KIOSK N1C Lower Stable St, N1C www.kioskn1c.com @kioskn1c KIOSK GQ Unit A, The Glassworks, UB6 www.kioskgq.com @kioskgq KIOSK SOHO D’Arblay Street, W1F www.kiosksoho.com @kiosksoho www.kiosk.world @kiosk.wrld Print Park Communications Primary Typefaces ABC Monument, ABC Dinamo Simon Mono, JP Haynie & Robert Janes Domaine, Klim Foundry Feroniapi, Velvetyne Type Foundry
With thanks to all our brilliant contributors and interviewees: Maddy Bobin Hope Cunningham Dan de Freitas @ Slow Tongues Flynn Devine Dr Flo Babak Ganjei Abigail Caitlin Ghent Emily Goulding Kevin Green Tim Harper Aaron Hettey Tatsuo Hino Chantelle Faith Kusi Qozeem Lawal Hai Lin Leung Michael Marriot Terri Mercieca Bryn Morgan-Hughes Christine Murray Chris OC Afua Ofori-Darko Sonny Owen Crystelle Pereira Isaac Rangaswami Rosie Rushton Alice Snape Samme Snow Jack Thompson Yuki Toribe Chlöe Torr Kat Tso Chris Waywell Sam Wong
Arts Lead Nadja Coyne Kiosk magazine is published by Applied Research Creative Studio Limited, 12 D’Arblay Street, London W1F 8DU. © Applied Research Creative Studio Limited, 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Kiosk Magazine and its logo are trademarks of Applied Research Creative Studio Limited.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. All prices, specifications, and details of products and services mentioned are correct at the time of going to press and are subject to change without notice. EVERYTHING INDEPENDENT
Cover Image Kat Tso of Katscribblz, photographed by Qozeem Lawal
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Words TATSUO HINO
Photography AARON HETTY
KIOSK MAGAZINE