Made in Fulham

It never fails to surprise us what a talented bunch you Fulham folks are. Each month Urban Village Ldn introduces you to THe Fulham face behind an idea, product or business and asks them what they love about being a local resident. This month we talk to Nesse Cannon, Founder of Barrefly LDN

How long have you called Fulham home? I landed in Fulham eleven years ago and have never looked back.

Tell us a bit about yourself / your family Originally from Miami, I came to the UK in my mid-20s to study and see the world. And I knew... just FOUR DAYS later... that I’d never be going home again. That was nearly 20 years ago, and I am now a British citizen and very much content with my adopted home country (and city). I have been many things in my life - professional salsa dancer, Chief Marketing Officer, consultant, cancer-survivor, activist, and fur-mummy - and now I run my own little corner of fitness, feminism, and fun in Parson’s Green. I’m also still a fur mummy (and a few other of those things) and can be regularly spotted with my old rescue boy, Stanley, lounging in the grass of one Fulham park or another.

What’s your favourite local haunt and why? OMG… how can one possibly choose?! I am a bit of a foodie, and I LOVE my local faves. Koji, Hally’s, Manuka Kitchen, Naive (coffee shop), and The Atlas pub immediately spring to mind, but we are truly spoilt for choice in this area, so I’m sure I’m forgetting LOADS of great spots. I just love the community spirit of these places. They are run by people who truly care about their business and their clients. They have a unique ‘flavour’, and always remember their regulars. Also the lemongrass and chili martini at Koji?? Forget it. I DIE for them.

What's your perfect Fulham day? Oh that’s easy. Kick off with a coffee from Naive, then head for a barre class (*cough*) at my studio. Take Stanley for a little frolic on Parson’s Green; maybe meet a girlfriend for brunch at Hally’s. A spot of shopping at Katie and Jo (another favourite spot), maybe a mani/pedi at Apple Nails (they are so sweet in there). I generally need to stock up on some vegan supplies, so I’ll nip into GreenBay if I’m able. Then maybe catch an early dinner at Manuka Kitchen, The Atlas, or The Harwood Arms (*drool*)… right after my blow out from Blush and Blow of course. I'd finish the evening with a few drinks at Koji (and hopefully a chat with Pat - Koji’s owner and an absolute LEGEND of a woman). Then home and in bed early, as I am generally back in my studio by 6.30/7am (and I am old).

Which local shop/service/business do you rely on? I mostly rely on the ones I’ve already mentioned for my sanity. Largely because my fellow small business owners have all been so lovely to me since the moment I startd my studio. I was honestly blown away by the kindness and generosity of most of the owners I came across. As in most times of our life (but particularly when we are starting out in a small business) personal relationships are what keep us sane.

What's the best meal you've had in Fulham? Nope! Impossible to answer. There are sooooo many lovely restaurants in Fulham. I also love Gola for good Italian. Tiki’s Brasserie is another great brunch spot. Honestly, there are SO many wonderful places to discover...

If you could do one thing to improve Fulham what would it be? More art. More independent theatre. More… ‘edge’ isn’t the right word. But I would love to see some of the amazing creativity and diversity that is famous in so much of London be a little more visible in Fulham.

Tell us about Barrefly LDN and how it came to be Ahh BarreFly… the best decision I’ve ever made. Honestly, BarreFly was born out of the pandemic when another local business (which will ALWAYS have a piece of my heart) - Slice Urban Fitness - closed down in pretty terrible circumstances. I had been an instructor there, alongside my day job, for many years and it was always my little happy place. As it was for so many others. When they closed, not only was I heartbroken; I was also homeless (as far as my teaching went). I decided to take my classes and my nutrition coaching online and, to my astonishment, loads of my regular clients came online with me. So, when I decided to open a live space (out of necessity as much as anything else), I decided that I was going to create exactly the kind of place I would want to go… Barre studios have a reputation (not unfairly, I’m sorry to say) for being a bit... pretentious. A little… stuffy. Not very… welcoming or relaxed. I wanted to create a space where women of all kinds could come and be… whoever they felt like being that day. Whether that’s you in a matching gym set with a full face of makeup on, feeling your supermodel fantasy, or you just rolled out of bed, left the kids with your partner, through your hair in a messy bun and haven't fully caffeinated yet. We are unashamedly feminist and supportive of all of the women in our space - from mums to students to professionals to retirees. We play filthy hip-hop music (mostly for the comedic value of it, but also for the beat) and laugh openly in class at stupid jokes and, crucially, at ourselves. BarreFly is at once SUPER serious about exercise and nutrition, but also super determined not to take life (or ourselves) that seriously. My goal with this space was, is, and will always be to try to make every single person who walks through our doors feel better when they walk out of them. I am so incredibly proud of what my team and I have built, and absolutely IN LOVE with my clients. Clients that range in age from 22 to 70, from all walks of life, and literally make my day every. single. time I walk in the door. So much so that I have recently left the day job (the aforementioned CMO gig) to focus on BarreFly full time. It was a scary decision, but so SO exciting.

What advice would you give people thinking about starting a new business? I suppose the first thing I would say is to just do it. Don't spend years planning every last detail out perfectly in your mind, because all of those beautiful plans will, almost inevitably, go straight to shit once you open your doors. Which isn’t to say don’t do your research and be properly prepared… I have just found that so many people become paralysed by the fear of what they don’t know that they lose sight of everything that they do know. And that can sometimes mean the difference between getting started and not. And I cannot recommend getting started enough. The next thing I would say is to absolutely reach out to other small business owners in your area. You will be AMAZED by the wisdom, kindness, and support that they will offer you. Not to mention the sense of community which is so, SO valuable on the days when you wake up and wonder why you did this to yourself in the first place.

What are you working on currently? Loads! BarreFly’s group sessions are begining to fill up which is terrific! We are nearly at the point where we will have to start wait listing our unlimited memberships (which I NEVER dreamed would happen in my first year), so I am working on building some partnerships with other local businesses to collaborate and hold classes elsewhere. I am also working on a ‘road to wellness’ product for those folks who are still (despite my best efforts) unsure or intimidated by the idea of attending live classes. This is an online product which will help them get ‘from sofa to sexy’ (working title) from the comfort of their own homes. And, of course, it’s coming up to wedding season, so we’ll be booking our Barre and Bubbles events for hen parties this summer, which I LOVE doing; they’re such fun. I am also incredibly excited to be working on a partnership with a local women’s refuge, which will allow me to scratch that old activism itch in a real way. I can’t discuss in detail right now, but I’ll let you know as soon as I’m able!