You’ve spoken, Putney: here are your high street heroes

Ninety-one of you entered our Percy Pig M&S Tote bag competition. One question: name one local business on Putney High Street that deserves more recognition. What came back was a love letter to independent Putney – and a clear winner.

The winner

Congratulations to Kirsten Ireland, whose entry has been selected as our random winner. Kirsten nominated Dugard and Daughters: the very same butcher that topped our reader poll. Your Percy Pig M&S Tote is on its way. We’ll be in touch by email.

What Putney chose

The response was striking: not for how it was spread, but for how concentrated it was. From 91 entries, readers named 33 different businesses across Putney High Street. But affection pooled rapidly at the top.

The Top 5:

Dugard and Daughters won by a clear margin. The family butcher on Putney High Street collected 15 nominations – the strongest single endorsement of the competition. If you haven’t read our interview with Neil Dugard from last October, it’s well worth your time: he talked with remarkable candour about the challenge of winning over a neighbourhood that had forgotten what a proper butcher looked like, and what it takes to rebuild that trust one joint at a time. Read it here.

Octagreen was second with 12 votes, a striking result for a shop that opened relatively recently. Readers called it “always friendly and lovely.” Watch this space.

Panda’s Pantry came third with 10 votes. If you haven’t been, several readers would like a word with you.

Morrows collected six votes, which feels entirely right for an accessories shop that has become something of a community anchor. Regular readers will know that Morrows has had a difficult few years; the crowdfunder they launched last summer tells that story better than we can. That piece is here.

M&S rounding out the top five is – given that we launched this competition on the day the store opened – perhaps the most Putney outcome imaginable. It’s departure nearly eight years ago left a giant hole in the High Street that now feels filled in.

Rounding out the Top Ten

Also named (one vote each)

Beyond the top five, readers named a further 25 individual businesses, each receiving a single nomination. They are: British Heart Foundation Charity Shop, Casa Manolo, Cobblers of Putney, Gazette, Ground Coffee Society, Jaki, Laurie House, The Massage Company, Mind Charity Shop, Monies, NatWest Bank, No 1 Currency, Oliver Bonas, Phoenix Yoga, Putney Library, The Railway, Sushi at Waitrose, Sweet Tooth Café, The Florist by Putney Station, Timpson, Tiny Feet, TK Maxx, Toni & Guy, and Waterstones.

What we’re going to do next

This competition was, in part, a piece of research. You told us clearly which businesses matter to you most, the ones that feel like part of the fabric of the high street, not just occupants of it.

We’re going to go and talk to them. The top businesses in this poll will each get a visit from Putney.news: a proper conversation about what they do, why they do it, and what they need from the community to keep doing it. Dugard and Daughters, Octagreen, Panda’s Pantry, Morrows: you’re at the top of the list.

This is what local journalism looks like when it works. You tell us who matters. We go and listen to them. Then we tell their stories. Thank you for entering and thank you for caring enough to answer the question.

Correction: In an earlier version, we managed to miss those shops that got more than one vote but weren’t in the Top Five. Thanks to Susan for pointing out that her (and three other people’s!) votes hadn’t been included with The Source. She says of The Source: “I love the fact you can buy small quantities, staff always helpful and they are helping environment.”