My connection and love for Crouch End started nearly 15 years ago. I started working in the area in the early 2000s and over time, it has become my second home – you could say I’ve become part of the furniture!
First and foremost, I love the people here and have made so many friends. I never realised how many Greek Cypriots grew up and lived here.
There is a real community feel in the area and I have got to know so many of the local long-standing residents and local business owners. Whilst taking a short walk down Crouch End Broadway to grab some lunch, it can occasionally take me over an hour as I will regularly bump into familiar faces and get talking; from George, Chris and Georgina at the Green Grocer and at the Clocktower Store and Floro at the dry cleaners, to the mechanic or a landlord, tenant or vendor I have helped, it gives me that sense of belonging to the area and to the community.
There’s also a fantastic choice of independent shops and an abundance of activities available. My personal favourites are Banners a few doors from us, taking my children Alexander and Ophelia to Priory Park and the outdoor pool in the summer, Baby Gym (My Gym on The Broadway), Hot Pepper Jelly Jelly on Broadway Parade, Edith’s House, Dunns the Bakery which has been established since 1820, and I love the friendly welcoming atmosphere in Monkey Nuts.
The support we received since setting up the business in Crouch End has been overwhelming. When we first moved into our flagship office, we had a horrible experience where the office was burgled by a moped gang, but the support we received from the community was incredible. Bar Esteban experienced something similar and the way people came together is second to none. A big thank you to everyone who has given David Astburys their Crouch End love! London can be a cold hard place, but Crouch End disproves that with its warmth, community feel and friendly and familiar faces.
George Sifonios
Having children of my own has provided a different outlook to life and has spurred up my feelings and a longing to be a more proactive member of society. The world is not perfect, we all know that, and as adults we have the responsibility to change things and create safer environments for children to grow up and feel safe to play in.
Helping the local community is something that has always played on my mind as I’ve witnessed certain anti-social behavioural aspects growing up and followed many local news stories that have been of a negative nature. I’m not from a privileged background, but I feel very privileged about my background and have learnt to appreciate all that I have. We have no say in where we were born, nor which area we grow up in, but as we grow and educate ourselves, we see that what was one rigid becomes ever more variable and we do have the power to change things. I’m very thankful for my upbringing and my mother always encouraged me to be appreciative in life and to appreciate the fact that the community was built by others wanting to create a better life for my generation.
So how does David Astburys help the local economy I hear you ask? Business doesn’t always have a good association to it, we always hear in films that someone suffers as a result of profitmaking – the quote “it’s nothing personal, it’s just business” – must ring a bell, but it does not have to be this cold transaction whereby someone loses out, there are plenty of win win situations. There’s always been too much emphasis on people’s individual material worth, that the people with vast amounts of money must fix things, but it is not the way that we at David Astburys view the local community and our clients. We believe in investing time in people and we treat everyone as equals, we’re always striving to do good things here; it is part of our DNA to be honest, hardworking and professional.
It is a grass roots movement, reinvesting in ones area creates that localised focus and if as many local inhabitants are involved in the community, the more it will blossom. If proactive individuals from each community stopped all shopping in one place and starting developing relationships with their neighbours and neighbourhoods who happen to be shop owners, like the local greengrocer or gym owner, then business to business relations would grow and trust would develop ensuring a healthy micro-economy.
David Astburys also does their bit for charity; in fact, I have decided to part ways (or ‘shear’ as our company Virgin Money Giving page describes it) my beloved beard to raise money for CAREducation Trust which helps to educate children from around the world regardless of background.
My beard is not to everyone’s, let’s say, preference, and my partners finally persuaded me to part with literally a part of me! Everyone who knows me will vouch how attached I am to my beard, it means a lot to me but what I keep repeating to myself is the good that will come from this deed. I have chosen to donate the raised sums to this particular charity as it provides children with the right tools to face any problems they presently have or may have in their future. Education is very important in the fight against ignorance and I am very proud to support such a charity.
If you really don’t care about something and you part with it, it’s not really a big deal; let’s say you were going to throw something away eventually anyway, and you take credit for it, what does that say about you?
That is not true giving, that is not the essence of true sacrifice – a sacrifice is giving up something that you truly care about.
It has taken me years to grow my beard and I have finally perfected the vision I had for myself which has given me huge comfort, but not as much comfort as giving up my beard and raising money for children this Christmas.
David Astburys has set up a Virgin Money Giving page if you would like to donate to CAREducation Trust and see a Saints Barbers give George Sifonios a clean-cut shave. Simply type the link below into your web browser and donate whatever you can to this great trust: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidAstburys
