Having successfully established a loyal following since their debut at Kentish Town in 2011, Ruby Violet, the all-natural ice cream parlour which is owned by Julie Fisher, the daughter of one the three founders of FHP, Brian Fisher, have opened their second parlour in the £1 billion regeneration project at Kings Cross.
FHP negotiated terms for Ruby Violet with Argent and their agents, Lunson Mitchenall, for a unit of 440 sqft, adjacent to Waitrose and London College of Arts, at a rent of £115 sqft overall. They opened on Saturday 18th May. They are in the heart of the 67 acre regeneration project at Kings Cross on Granary Square, where, after 50 years of industrial use, the space is being transformed to develop 500,000 sqft of shops, bars and restaurants, 2000 new homes, as well as becoming a new business hub.
Ruby Violet will be nestled amongst global names including Google in their new 11 storey UK headquarters, alongside an entire Jamie Oliver dedicated Dining Complex which will incorporate his “creative centre” offices and test kitchens, as
well as Louis Vuitton and Universal Music. Even the world famous art college “Central St Martins”, part of University of the Arts London, opened in May on the site.
They continue to use local produce where possible, that’s free range and organic, made in small batches on site daily – this combined with their unique flavour concoctions, of which there are over 160, has cemented their reputation which spans much further than their pedestrian reach.
Owner Julie Fisher comments:
“I think King’s Cross is absolutely perfect for us. We are still rooted in the Camden area, but are looking forward to being in the centre of a buzzing scene – 13,000 people walk along the towpath at King’s Cross in a single day. There’s a massive amount of office workers and of course children love the fountains, it’s a destination and there is an energy to it that feels right.”
They’ve been visited by the likes of Damian Lewis and voted one of the best ice cream parlours in London by leading bloggers “Drive On The Left”, named “North London’s most acclaimed ice cream parlour” and voted “best shop” in Kentish Town for The Time Out Love London Awards.
FHP introduced Nottingham based Leonard Design Architects to design the store. True to the original Fortress Road venue, the interior décor has been sourced from across the UK and around the world – the centrepiece is a huge slab of wood that came from the bottom of the Panama Canal and large glass ceiling lights have been salvaged from an old cinema in the Indian city of Pune during a recent visit by owner Julie Fisher.
