Celebrating St Mark’s Road

The mingled smell of spices fills the air in the vast warehouse stacked with just some of the 10,000-odd products sold in Bristol Sweet Mart.

“This was the old Mountstevens Bakery,” says Saleem K Ismail, co-owner of the store that has become a Bristol institution in the four decades it has been trading in Easton, as he leads the way through the treasure trove of goods from around the world.

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Tucked away behind the shop on the corner of St Mark’s Road and Henrietta Street, the site now owned by Sweet Mart was once the family business of Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens.

Heading through to the shop area, which features – among many other things – an entire shelving unit dedicated to dates, Saleem reminisces about the origins of his family’s thriving stores.

Saleem K Ismail (right) with store manager and main purchaser Ali

“My dad had a shop in Uganda, but he lost everything and had to start all over again here,” says Saleem, whose late father Kassam Majothi, a Ugandan refugee, is honoured in a plaque commissioned by Bristol City Council and mounted on the wall outside.

“It all started with samosas, my dad packed them in a mushroom box and took them on the bus to sell on College Green. He sold out and had to call my mother and say: ‘could you make 100 more?’”

Saleem reveals the family couldn’t even afford proper shelves when they first took on the shop that, over the last 40 years, has expanded to incorporate consumer and wholesale goods, fruit and veg, a deli and more.

People travel from across Bristol and beyond to visit Sweet Mart, but the business is far from the only draw of this small street that has recently been named one of the best in the country and shortlisted in the prestigious 2020 Urbanism Awards, organised by the Academy of Urbanism, which aim to “celebrate and learn from great placemaking”.

Dallas greets passers-by as he soaks up the sun

“It’s a multicultural road,” says Dallas, a veteran reggae musician and actor, as he soaks up the morning sunshine on the corner outside.

He pauses mid-conversation to pop into Thali Café and comes out holding a Bristol24/7 that features an article about Carnival – a new film set against the backdrop of St Paul’s carnival – in which he plays a leading role.

It’s a quiet Tuesday morning, but still people pause to greet him as they pass by. “Yeah, there are a lot of different nationalities,” continues Dallas, talking about the area he has known for years. “It’s very friendly, you don’t seem to get much trouble around here.”

Zarine Khan has worked in the area for 22 years

Some businesses have inevitably come and gone over the years, but the pharmacy at 103 St Mark’s Road has been a constant presence for some nine decades. Inside, pharmacy dispenser Zarine Khan rushes to open the door for a mum with a pushchair.

Zarine has worked here for 22 years and seen some change over that time. “There are a lot of different kinds of people here and events that bring the whole community together – it’s a really nice community,” she says, adding: “We even had the Cricket World Cup going through this year.”

This vibrant area of Easton is now gaining well-deserved recognition on a national scale and is widely viewed as a sought-after destination – with rising house prices to match.

Vanessa Kear says she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else

But this wasn’t always the case, as Vanessa Kear knows only too well. “I remember when one of my sons was at school, he got told he would not amount to anything because he was from Easton,” she says.

“It used to be that if you lived in Easton, people looked down on you and now they want to come and join us.”

Often to be found with a pot of tea and a newspaper in Thali Café, the Henrietta Street resident reminisces on how things were different when she first moved to the area 53 years ago as a young mum with a small baby.

“I was one of the first customers at Sweet Mart,” says Vanessa. “We went in, my husband and I, they had the Royal sweets and we brought some and liked them so kept telling other people to go in – they are so hard working and you could not wish for a nicer family.”

Declaring that she wouldn’t live anywhere else, Vanessa continues: “I can’t afford foreign holidays, but I have got the world at my fingertips just at the end of the road.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have, or don’t have, here. Everyone is friendly and helps each other out whenever they can, and that’s very important as a community.”

She speaks of her pride at being asked to speak at the Grand Iftar and says it means the world to her to be so accepted as part of the community.

People came from across Bristol and beyond for the Grand Iftar 2018

Now a major event in the Bristol calendar, the Grand Iftar attracts much media attention and sees people from across the city gather to share the breaking of the fast during the Muslim month of Ramadan.

Samina Iqbal, pictured with daughter Shifa, says its a team effort to organise the Grand Iftar

“It’s a real mix of communities and businesses involved with the Iftar,” says Samina Iqbal, just one of the team who work behind the scenes to coordinate the event and provide food for the thousands who turn out to share in the breaking of the fast.

“Every business donates something, and we have to think of new ideas each year to make it more practical to coordinate.

“We have been just overwhelmed by the amount of people who came – it’s so enjoyable to share our fast with the Bristol community.”

The ornate Easton Jamia Mosque stands at the centre of the celebrations – and the community – but Afzal Shah, an organiser of the Grand Iftar, says it is the cross-cultural and multi-religion collaboration that truly makes the place special.

Afzal Shah says St Mark’s Road is Bristol’s cultural crown jewel

“The Baptist Church opens its doors up during the Grand Iftar,” says the Labour councillor for Easton, explaining that the church’s kitchens are used to prepare the food.

“They are always there and ask what they can do to help.”

Speaking before the 2019 event, Afzal reveals that organisers intend to cut down on single-use plastic this year and says he is also hoping to welcome people from Hartcliffe and Withywood to the celebrations.

“Those people who may not traditionally come to places like Easton can come and break bread with us,” he says. “It fosters understanding if you are sitting down with people who you might never have sat down with before. What better way to break down barriers than with food?”

The councillor, who moved to Easton in the early 1980s, describes the area as Bristol’s cultural crown, but adds it’s important not to ignore the existing levels of inequality and gentrification that is forcing communities away from their neighbourhood.

Reverend Richard Skinner says St Mark’s Road is a model for how communities can live in harmony

Reverend Richard Skinner of St Mark’s Baptist Church, who works closely with Afzal and others in the community, agrees that rising house prices are having a negative impact on many.

Stopping for a quick chat before a meeting with the BBC about using the church as a base for broadcasting during the Grand Iftar, he tells Bristol24/7 the diversity of the community is what makes it special.

“We are here to model the fact that people from different generations, ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders, religions and beliefs can live together in harmony, not just tolerate each other, but actually work together for the good of the community,” says Richard.

“I love the fact that we have an opportunity in the church to be a part of that.”

Edson Burton

Inside the Tenovus charity shop on St Mark’s Road one recent Tuesday morning, a familiar person sings as he browses the racks.

Writer, poet and historian Dr Edson Burton knows Easton well. “I think the strong elements of St Mark’s Road have got stronger,” he tells Bristol24/7, pausing to chat.

“Some shops have gone and there are less African and Caribbean influence nowadays, but it still feels safe and a really interesting meeting point full of different – and not so different – people.

“I’ve seen the Grand Iftar grow to be really special. And Sweet Mart – it’s great to see some Bristol businesses with such strength and solidarity when corporates are taking over.”

The Grand Iftar 2019 takes place on Thursday, May 30.

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