Convivial Pursuit
HELEN MURPHY AND NICK PELLING
When you walk into what appears to be a cheese and wine shop, you don’t really expect it to be also a rather bijou little gallery. But, when we went into Salon on Norman Road, that is exactly what we found. Indeed, the art on the walls is by some of the most interesting artists working in this area, such as Siobhan Stanley, Leah Germann, Alan Rankle and the ever-luminous Russell Baker. We decided to look into what was going on in this relatively new and slightly mysterious business in St Leonards.
Left to right, Michael, Wyatt and Mark
The owner of this venture is the charming Mark Plummer; we sat down and had a chat with him. Mark is, it turns out, actually a very well- established fashion photographer, who has worked on British Vogue and with such fashion giants as John Galliano and Katherine Hamnett. But in 2010 he came down to what was then the distinctly unglamorous world of St Leonards to see what it was about, and decided to stay.
FLANEURS AND FROMAGE
Although his business currently sells an impressive range of wines and cheeses, Mark’s vision is for something rather more convivial. As we write, he is counting down the days until Hastings Council’s planning department gives him the green light enabling him to sell glasses of wine and a cheese board so people can sit down and enjoy them there and then. Salon doubtless will become a drop-in point for the innumerable flaneurs of this town. As Mark puts it, with a glint of optimism: “It should all be up and running by the end of February, at the very latest.”
Mark freely admits that his knowledge of wine stems from a lifetime of experience. Or, as he explains: “I know the soil.” He has over 300 wines in the back of his shop and has apparently tasted all of them. Inevitably prices range extensively but it is not really about selling top-end wines – although he has plenty of them – but more about “helping people on their wine journey”. As he says, his existing customers have come to “trust” him.
The space itself is quite intriguing, with a clean-cut cheese shop in the front but more of a relaxed ambience at the back. As Mark says, he’s trying to create “a setting in which conversations can flow”. The art works will doubtless help with this, as many of them are quite thought-provoking. Leah Germann’s work, for example, mixes kitchen sink realism with female rage. Picture in your mind’s eye a very painterly depiction of a woman wrestling with an aggressive ironing board.
SYMBIOSIS NOT SCLEROSIS
Interestingly, Mark does not charge commission for any of the art sold. He sees himself as in partnership with local artists, a mutually beneficial arrangement. In a way, he has a similar attitude to his customers, he will supply the “passion and the knowledge” but only people can truly make the vibe.
It is obvious that Mark has developed quite an affection for this town and its people. He is aware that many people are a little unhappy with what some call ‘gentrification’ – and that his business might be seen as part of that – but he takes a slightly different view: “It is all just the next progression.” Given the sclerotic moth-balling that has beset some of the public venues in this town, such asAzur, St Mary in the Castle and the pier itself, it’s quite uplifting to find someone opening new doors into a bibulous future.
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