The Shoe Whisperer – Saeed Malik
Bina Shoes – 40 years young and still strutting their stuff
If you’ve strolled down Petticoat Lane on a weekday, likelihood is you’ll have a seen a collection of shiny silver and black trunks, neatly piled high outside 27 Wentworth Street. Every day Saeed Malik wheels those trunks in front of his shop, Bina Shoes, and after 40 years in the business they’re as much a part of the Lane as our Cockney rhyming slang and Huguenot heritage.
What’s the story of Bina Shoes?
“My father set up Bina Shoes back in the early 70s when he had a stall on the corner of Wentworth Street and Castle Street. As with a lot of businesses, it started from the market. It was a lunchtime market in those days and the City was known all over the world. It used to be so packed you couldn’t move, because people would come from miles around by the coachloads. Back then Petticoat Lane was the King of Markets, of the whole world, and we were very fortunate to get a pitch.
It takes time to have the legs to buy a shop, but the market was like a compost for businesses to grow from. So, in 1983 we bought the shop. It was derelict when we got it, but that meant we could restore it and shape it ourselves. We were lucky that we got to travel a lot when we were designing new products. I’d see these Italian and Spanish interiors which we modelled the look on – open-plan, elevated, clean lines.
For the name of the shop, we didn’t need to look so far. I’m one of seven siblings, and my sister Bina is the youngest. She works nearby now, so she’ll sometimes walk by, see her name up there, and know it’s all down to her.”
How’s the business changed over the years?
“From starting out as a market stall, we bought the shop. After establishing ourselves there, we expanded again; we bought more shops, became wholesalers, and we had these huge premises in Shoreditch as our warehouse. But times change.
We’ve been here over 40 years so we’ve seen a lot, the good times and the bad. In the warehouse we kept getting broken into, and there were recessions and we wouldn’t get paid on time, so we decided to stick with what we know and what had always felt like home: Petticoat Lane.
I’ve always been passionate about the business – I think it’s just something inside of me – and had this creativity and drive. I’m always looking ahead, planning, refining. Because what kills your business is your leftovers, so we’ve learnt to adapt with the times and stay ahead of the curve.”
What does ‘ahead of the curve’ look like for you?
“I’ll plan out a year in advance when we’re designing our product, so I’ve always got to keep a look out for inspiration. When people are browsing I’ll listen out for what they’re interested in and I keep a piece of scrap paper on me to take notes of a word or phrase that inspires me. Then, when the time comes, I’ll collaborate with our suppliers to finetune my ideas.
The world is changing, so must we. And you’d be surprised by how much of that shift for us is down to climate change. For example, we don’t make boots anymore. We have shorter winters, which means less time to sell them in and we don’t want all the excess stock. So we stick with what works. The shapes, colours, sizes, heel heights that I know our customers want. And they’re good customers around here. Good people.”
And what do you do if there is excess stock?
“I’m a member of a group that raises money for people who need it, and as part of that we donate our old stock. We’ll take a look at the stockroom and decide what’s better – sitting here, waiting to see if it stays in trend, or give it to those we know will benefit from it. It keeps things moving and it feels good to help others.”
Why do you think Bina Shoes has survived so long?
“With our customers, we know what they want and we give them that, with both our product and our attitude.
With our business, we’ve learnt to adapt. I look at what we’ve done and where we’re going. I’m in my 60s now, but I still want to be going for another 20 years! When the market’s saturated you come out of it and make your own market, that’s what we’ve done.”
Any other words of wisdom?
“To be honest, with feet, they’re ugly. But shoes make what’s ugly look pretty, and so we’re always thinking of ways to make our product better, which will make our customer’s lives better.”
With 40 years done and many more to go, you know where we’ll be copping our next ones and twos from.
Real People. Proper Stories
The Punk Patissiere – Sanji Parveen
Meet the founder, managing director and head pâtissière of Eat The D*mn Cake. A self-taught pastry chef and self-procl…
The Satay Queen – Som
We sat down with Som, Founder of Satay Street to talk about her journey as a small business owner in London, and what sh…
The Local Legend – Laurie Allen
Local resident, historian, poet, singer, and much more. Laurie Allen – or Laurie of Petticoat Lane as he’s known..
