Sixty-three years ago, Leo Epstein opened his shmatta shop on bustling Brick Lane.
An infamous thoroughfare not even a mile long, stretching from Whitechapel High Street to Bethnal Green, Brick Lane was once the beating heart of the shmatta trade in the East End. It was also the arterial hub of the Jewish ghetto.
Today, the street is, as it always has been, a vibrant, populated place. Yet the demographic is decidedly different these days: Most of the Jewish community is long gone, decades ago having moved away from the inner city and into the leafy suburbs.
The only Jewish retailer remaining on Brick Lane is Epstein, purveyor of dress fabrics; a congenial octogenarian. The Epstein family live in Hendon, in north west London; they traverse from one end of London to the other in order to reach the shop. But they wouldn’t have it any other way.
I interviewed Leo Epstein, along with his grandson, Michael, 24, on a Sunday morning. I asked Leo if he wanted to sit down to do the interview but he told me there was no need; this way he could easily talk and serve customers at the same time.
Despite having run this business for over half a century, he still has an abundance of energy for his work. Michael says: “To be working here, like this, until my grandfather’s age is, I think, pretty remarkable; he’s 86 and shows no signs of slowing down.”
Leo tells me: “The very first immigrants from Asia — predominately Bangladeshi — came to Brick Lane as far back as 1960, and there was a major influx in the mid 60s, through to the 70s.”
Simulatenously, most of the Jewish retailers began to move their fabric shops into the West End. Their customers were becoming wealthier, and so were the shopkeepers themselves.
Shopkeepers were no longer needing to live in the East End either; they were heading out to the greenery and space of suburban communities such as Golders Green.
“Whilst most of the Jewish retailers felt a little bit uncomfortable with the changes in the area, we have always got on with everybody around us,” asserts Leo.
“In fact, we have welcomed them, and have always been happy that the new people coming in have kept this area lively. We have made it a policy to get along with everybody.”
While we are talking, several customers arrive looking for their perfect fabric: “Customers often come in and ask for very exclusive stuff. I tell them this is Brick Lane, not Park Lane. We don’t belong on Park Lane — we are very comfortable here, we always have been.
"The only thing that would drive us out of here is if Brick Lane becomes too fancy: there’s talk about turning it into another Covent Garden type place. If that happens, we won’t be able to afford to be here anymore.”
Epra Fabrics sits sandwiched between a Bangladeshi restaurant and an empty space bearing a ‘For Let’ sign. A two-minute walk from the shop, walking north, there’s the old Spitalfields Great Synagogue, now the Brick Lane Mosque. On the façade of the building there’s a Latin motto on a small plaque: “We are all shadows.”
Epstein tells me: “That big mosque on the corner, I remember when it used to be a synagogue. Things change. We as Jews feel very comfortable around here, and most if not all of our neighbours are Muslims.
"We get on very well with all of our neighbours. If you’re not a tolerant person, you won’t have a business in Brick Lane. Here, there’s nowhere I won’t go with my kippah on my head.
“I remember when all our customers and suppliers were Jewish. Everyone buying and selling in this trade spoke Yiddish, all the shop signs were in Yiddish. Things are completely different now. A lot of our business is online, and many of our customers are Asian; it’s a different time.”
Despite his optimistic outlook, Epstein admits that the current political situation is worrying. “I came to the UK aged six, as a refugee from Germany. England was one of the only countries that gave visas during that time. America, Australia, South Africa — all refused visas. But England gave us a new life.
"Because I was a refugee, I have this positive view of England, which has always been welcoming, to not only Jews, but to other refugees. You see that every day lived out here on Brick Lane. I will admit, though, that it is worrying, what is happening in the world today.”
Michael adds: “Just like my grandpa, I wear my kippah every day here. I actually feel more comfortable on Brick Lane than I do in very Jewish parts of London. If you want to be antisemitic, it’s easier in Hendon because every other person walking down the street is Jewish.
"We love Brick Lane, we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else."
Rents are rising on Brick Lane as the neighborhood is becoming increasingly attractive to young professionals. Vegan cafes and vintage clothing shops sit in between the Bangladeshi restaurants. But still Epra Fabrics remains, despite the persistent flurry of change and development which surrounds it.
Michael adds: “I have a legacy to uphold, I’m third generation, and I just want to keep this business going. If I can achieve that, I’ll be doing well.”
