Columbia Road in Shoreditch operates as a flower market on Sunday mornings — a single street lined with stalls selling cut flowers, plants, shrubs, and bulbs, impossibly crowded and completely atmospheric. The market operates since the 1860s and the Victorian shopfronts along the street now house independent boutiques, galleries, and cafes that open only on market days.
Come between 8 and 10am when the stalls are fully loaded and before the crowds become too dense. The stallholders are old-school East End traders and the banter is as much part of the experience as the flowers. Adjacent Ezra Street has the most interesting independent shops. Cash preferred at the stalls.