At home with... Stuart Hopson Jones
Entrepreneur Stuart Hopson Jones talks to Allira Carroll about his passion for Brixton and why he’s giving the area Dex, a private members bar and hotel for the music industry
Above: Plans for Dex
What’s the concept behind Dex?
South London doesn’t have any private members clubs and London doesn’t have any private members clubs specifically for the music industry. Most Soho clubs are focussed on the TV industry. The idea for Dex has been around for awhile: a hotel that caters specifically for international DJs or those coming from the UK and playing in London. As far as location, we’re 10 minutes up the road from Fabric. There’s no hotels geared to those working hours. When you get off work at six or seven in the morning and you want to relax and have a few drinks all the traditional hotels in town are not too keen on that kind of thing. Here, they get access to the club and hotel 24/7 and there’s an amazing roof terrace with a hot tub, palm trees and sunloungers. It’s a real oasis.
Why have you chosen Brixton?
I’ve lived in Brixton since I moved back from America 16 years ago and I’ve been developing businesses in the area since. Brixton needs it. I’ve walked past this building nearly every day for those 16 years and when it became available I really couldn’t resist the opportunity to try and get it. I think it’s been in dire need of a good pub and a slightly more upmarket bar/restaurant for a long time.
What kinds of members will Dex attract?
We already have 100 founder members and they’re pretty much all in the music industry from journalists to music PR, radio pluggers, studio engineers, producers, and recording artists such as Basement Jaxx. They’re all mostly from south London but not exclusively. They come to Brixton sometimes two or three times a week to see bands at the Brixton Academy or the Windmill and a big complaint from them is that there’s nowhere in Brixton for pre and post-gig schmoozing, which they love. Also, the Academy has the problem that there are no hotels in the area so they’re using a fleet of cars to shuttle artists from central London hotels out to the venue. This is a very niche market.
Brixton doesn’t always have the best reputation, how do you go about changing that?
There’s quite a bit of bad press about Brixton and it’s mostly unwarranted, but we could certainly help ourselves more. When I took the lease here I was surprised to find there was no active business forum. It was clear that various businesses were dissatisfied with the council’s approach to addressing Brixton’s issues and so we decided to form our own group, the Brixton Business Forum (BBF). Another group, Lambeth Business Against Crime (LBAC) came out that. It is really to reduce crime in business, retail and hospitality, and it has already achieved an increase in prosecutions and we’ve banned a lot of unsociable characters from the town centre.
What do you see for the area in the future?
When I owned the Polygon Bar & Grill and The Junction in Clapham, I witnessed the remarkable and swift development of the area and then l look at Brixton and see how little has changed or developed here. The current council has good aims and there’s a lot of exciting things happening in the next couple of years here with redevelopment of Central Square, which I sit on the steering group for, and the tram link to Kings Cross. There also widening the pavements and moving some of the bus stops up a little bit to ease the congestion outside the station. The biggest issue which I think needs resolving is the market – it really needs some investment. People love markets and the council should sort those out and bring them into the 21st century.
What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
I was lucky, I learnt a lot about this business from working for Terence Conran for years and then I managed to get Basement Jaxx to play a monthly residency at The Junction before they released their first album which really helped to make a success of the place. But you don’t always succeed and that can hurt your self confidence, so you need to have real belief on yourself and a determination and tenacity to succeed in anything. It’s also not easy setting up a business because of the red tape the amount of unpaid work you have to do.
Why do you love Brixton?
When I was in New York I lived in the lower east village and Brixton really reminds me of the wonderful vibrancy, multi-ethnicity, and urban energy for which New York is known. Most of London is very villagey but Brixton had a bit of an urban edge which appealed to me.
What’s your perfect day spent in south west London?
It would have to start with a lie-in. Then I’d go to the Phoenix (441 Coldharbour Lane) which is fantastic for breakfast. After that I’d go to Brockwell Lido for a swim then perhaps a game of tennis. For dinner I’d choose Upstairs Bar & Restaurant (89b Acre Lane) which was opened by a friend who used to work for me actually. I’d finish off with either a visit to the Ritzy, which is my favourite cinema or the Brixton Academy (211 Stockwell Road) which is quite simply the best music venue in London. There’s also a great little pub up Brixton Hill called the Windmill (22 Blenheim Gardens) which has live music every night. Then I guess I’d come back to Dex until sunrise – I am slightly nocturnal by nature.
www.dexclub.co.uk/; 020 7326 4455