'Mad mix of art, culture, creativity incredible food - and a sense of rebellion...'

It's one of Bristol's most creative spots. But what's it like to run a business in Stokes Croft? Ellie Kendall meets the firms at its beating heart

- Ellie Kendall

STOKES Croft is often described as being the cool, bohemian, beating heart and soul of Bristol. Back in 2024 it was ranked as the sixth coolest neighbourhood in the world, according to Time Out.

There’s no denying that for many a Bristolian, Bristol without Stokes Croft would be like missing a limb - you only have to look at the recent rebirth of legendary music venue The Croft to feel that in some sense.

But we wanted to get a feel for what those working here thought about it in today’s current climate.

Funky as Stokes Croft may be, some we spoke to didn’t shy away from the darker sides of the area, however. Cafe Kino staff member Llyr, pictured inset, has worked there just over a year and lives in Horfield, not too far from Stokes Croft.

A trans woman, she described how this Stokes Croft cafe (which was also facing closure back in late 2024) is going above and beyond on a prominent corner of one street. She said: “Working in Stokes Croft is quite interesting. You don’t always know what you're going to get on the day.

“Obviously there are a lot of people struggling, people on the streets. We open our doors to a lot of them. They can come in and get a free coffee using our Pay It Forward system.

“The space is aimed to be a community space, predominantly for queer people, or people in vulnerable positions. Anyone can come in and use the toilet and our facilities. But of course the people we meet aren’t always in the best frame of mind. So we have to deal with some difficult situations quite often. But for the most part, it’s nice, and has a great sense of community among our regulars. I go to gigs a lot around Stokes Croft and lots of things are happening. You can also see some of the most amazingly dressed people walking around, the fire on Turbo Island of course, random things like some sort of vehicle driving by playing music from a speaker - so you certainly see some of the more interesting bits of Bristol here.