Dalston, the home of floral entrepreneur Kaiva Kaimins, is a vibrant enclave in East London filled with independent businesses. Kaimins takes CNBC Travel on a tour of her favorite spots.
Florist Kaiva Kaimins may have been born in Australia, but Dalston is his hometown.
Kaimins lives and works in the East London enclave, where she set up her floral studio My Lady Garden in 2020.
It's a physical manifestation of the Instagram account of the same name she started in 2016 during floral school.
“I eventually want to work for myself full-time,” Kamins told CNBC Travel. “I already had some events booked for the summer, so I decided to start my own studio.”
The Covid-19 lockdown has accelerated this process. With in-person events canceled, Kemmings is focusing on weekly flower deliveries and on-site flower sales until she is able to build her wedding and events business again.
Many of Kemmings' neighbors have similar stories of working on side jobs during the pandemic that turned into full-time careers.
In the latest episode of CNBC's travel series Downtime, Kemmings tells us about some of her favorite spots, including:
- Papo's Bagels pays homage to New York bagels, offering seven varieties of bagels, including the famous “Everything” bagel.
- Dead Good Coffee is a coffee shop that turns into a bar at night, with a disco ball and matching music.
- Oeno Maris is a fishmonger with a bar in the back and regular sashimi nights.
- Broadway Market is a hub of independent shops and restaurants, perfect for a Sunday stroll.
- Dan's Wine Shop is a casual wine bar specializing in natural wines.
Watch the video above to see how insiders enjoy their time in Dalston.