Shop Local


Five public artworks by Bob and Roberta Smith commissioned for Shoreditch by PEER

Hoxton Street is the backbone of Shoreditch and boasts a huge variety of shops and stalls that sell everything from jellied eels to electrical goods. Many of the shops are established family enterprises that battle to make a profit while having to compete with the well known high street brands. Hoxton Street, a thriving local thoroughfare, has so far retained its unpretentious and down-to-earth sense of self.

Specially commissioned for five public sites in Shoreditch, internationally acclaimed artists Bob and Roberta Smith designed one off advertisements for five businesses along Hoxton Street.

Called Shop Local, this project has been inspired by the faded advertisements from the early 20th century that were painted on walls at a number of locations around Shoreditch. Back then, the majority of shops and businesses were owned and operated by sole traders. In their inimitable style, Bob and Roberta Smith’s quirky project tackles the issues raised by the blandness of today’s average high street, and celebrates independent and individual high street businesses.