Written by Louise Henry Photographs by UNSPLASH

 

Back in December 2017, the long awaited Peckham Levels opened its doors to the public, after months of regeneration. Occupying seven levels of a multi-storey car park, the development is a collaboration between Southwark council, and the local creative community, aimed at providing affordable studio space and offering exciting opportunities for local people. See what some of its makers, creators and business owners have to say in our exclusive interview…

 

 

CAHOONA’S HAIR HUB WWW.CAHOONASLONDON.COM
Tracey Cahoon knows a thing or two about hair. For over 20 years she’s tended the locks of some of the most famous heads in music, film and fashion, including Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse. Her work has graced the cover of Vogue, and has been captured by the likes of Rankin and David Bailey. Back in December, Tracey launched Cahoona’s Hair Hub; a beautifully curated salon on the sixth floor of Peckham Levels, and set to cultivate the next generation of hair stylists.
I’ve always loved the vibrancy of Peckham and it has been my home for 12 years now. I opened my first place four years ago out the back of Charlie Foxtrot Vintage – a fantastic little store owned by two friends of mine. But Peckham was the obvious location choice for the new salon. I began my career styling film and fashion shoots and still see some of the same clientele at Cahoonas.
I always had a strong idea about how the space would feel, and approached a lot of local South London artists to make it happen. My friend, Lou Corcoran helped with the initial ideas, and I knew I wanted to source a local company for the fitting, too. Bernard Elsmere from the Elsmere Project is someone I’ve admired for a while, so he took Lou’s drawings and continued the collaboration to the building and detail stage. My cousin Laura Eldret is an artist, and she designed the fabric for the chairs. Her mother, like mine is a hairdresser, so she understood the vibe I was trying to achieve.
I would love to pass on our knowledge and educate enthusiastic young people from Peckham. Fundamental trade secrets shouldn’t be limited to the West End. At Cahoona’s, we’re making great training accessible with the help of our eclectic tribe of stylists and colourists.

 

LEVELSIX WWW.LEVELSIXSTUDIOS.CO.UK
Climbing to the sixth floor is a workout in itself, but nestled at the top of Peckham Levels is yoga studio and café space, LEVELSIX. Founded by four friends, each have various strings to their bows, but all share a common goal of offering people a safe and welcoming place to eat and move freely.
Between the four of us we have experience in yoga teaching, cooking, design, community outreach and business. Feeling good, eating well, and developing a great yoga practice are things we all seek out for ourselves, so we jumped at the chance to be a part of Peckham Levels.
We always wanted to find a space that would allow us to provide yoga and food in equal measures. Feeling good, healthy and alive requires more than just exercise alone. Yogic philosophy and mantra coupled with the endorphins from a sweaty class will leave you feeling great, but it’s about what we put into our bodies, too. Our aim is for anyone who visits LEVELSIX to leave feeling energised and uplifted.
Everyone started out as a beginner at some point, whatever it is they do. Starting out can be a daunting prospect, but our schedule is carefully programmed to ensure it’s accessible to anyone at the beginning of their yoga journey. The people of Peckham are diverse and we want our classes and client base to reflect this. As we grow, we can’t wait to expand our community outreach programme.
As well as a great daily class schedule, we also have a monthly workshop programme and plenty of other one-off special classes too. We marry food and movement where we can; for instance one of our teachers recently led an asana class incorporating magical, ancient storytelling followed by a tasty spring inspired three course meal in our café. In April we are looking forward to a two-day Jivamukti fundamentals workshop, hip hop yoga with Sanchia Legister, a Women’s Circle Ceremony with Mischa Varmuza and a class with Mona Godfrey to celebrate Earth Day.
Everyone at LEVELSIX is dedicated to enriching the community of Peckham. We’re so happy to be a part of a vibrant and diverse place that offers a space for everyone to contribute, collaborate and create.


HAO HAO CHI WWW.HAOHAOCHI.CO.UK
Our spot in Peckham Levels came to be after a year of selling street food at market stalls. We were constantly asked if we had a restaurant, and the great feedback encouraged us to find a permanent home. When the opportunity at Peckham Levels came along, we knew that it was the one. Full of like-minded small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs, we knew there’d be a strong community spirit here.
Exploring our Chinese roots has been invaluable, but living in South London has been pretty inspiring too. The ethnic markets of Tooting, Croydon and Peckham have provided easy access to different exotic fruits and vegetables, allowing us to put lesserknown items on the menu. We’re lucky to have access to the fantastic Hoo Hing and Wing Yip – both great hoards to source the less common items from Asia.
Peckham Levels has been a fantastic addition to the local community. We have such a diverse range of customers – from families, to foodies, to partygoers, we enjoy seeing many different people come to admire the space. Architects and students have even asked us to be a part of their studies, which is amazing, and proves that Peckham Levels is capturing everyone’s imagination.

 

It’s great to see what other members are doing as well. People aren’t just creating jobs and opportunities, they’re also adding to the creative diversity of our community. There is so much accessible art too. The free exhibition Southwark QueerStory is gaining a lot of attention, along with the permanent mural on the ground floor by local artist, Remi Rough.

Visit Peckham Levels at Peckham Town Centre Car Park, 95A Rye Lane, South London, SE15 4ST.
Opening times: Sunday – Wednesday: 10am – 11pm, Thursday – Sunday: 10am – 12am.