House of Bottles is more than just an off-licence. It can help you satisfy your thirst! Did you watch that episode of the Apprentice a few weeks ago when they learnt that beer can be more than just lager or ale? Well the House of Bottles has a huge variety of beers. Our volunteer, Mario visited to find out more and some bought honey beer, though he was nearly tempted by the banana bread beer! They also stock a wide range of  wines and liquors.

The staff are really friendly too. You can stop by and have a chat with Tony (the owner) or Salwam (pictured), who will be more than happy to guide you through what they have to offer.

The House of Bottles is also well know for the artwork of Morganico, outside the shop. Morganico is a rather talented artist that is “interested in making the world a more interesting and beautiful place by applying passion, inspiration and creativity” . He works on murals, carvings and portraits. The business opened in the early 2000s and has now been  on Coldharbour Lane for more than 10 years. Tony transformed the previous fishmonger (which had been onsite for 35 years) into an off-licence. Taking all this into account we can safely say that the House of Bottles is one of Brixton’s ‘historical’ places of interest! Its design, style, products, position and artwork all shout ‘made in Brixton!’

So, what are you waiting for? Use your B£ to support another Brixton gem and let us know what you think on Twitter… remember to use the hash-tag: #yourpound!

Since this is a celebration of local shopping, we’ll be celebrating our local businesses as well! We’re launching a new blog series called: “#yourpound: Meet the trader”. Over the next month, up to the 15^th of June, we will write a weekly post on a local business where you can go and spend your Brixton Pounds…. And we’ll promote the business using the hashtag: #yourpound… Help us spread the word!!

First up is Healthy Eaters… a Jamaican kitchen at the intersection between Electric Avenue and Electric Lane close to the famous Fox and the Cherries.

At Healthy Eaters, you can choose among a selection of patties (vegetarian and not), breads, cakes and Jamaican dishes… you can see a photo of some of their delicious food below.

 If you are in a rush, or if you are looking somewhere where to sit and have lunch, Healthy Eaters is the place to go.  If it looks busy, be sure to check out the downstairs where there are plenty more tables and seats.

Want to know more? Just ask Stafford, the owner. He first opened his stall in the market 2003, and the actual shop in 2009. His passion for food, especially for genuine food, is seen in one of Brixton’s most interesting businesses.

So what are you waiting for? Use your Brixton Pounds to buy your lunch at Healthy Eaters (simply use Pay by Text username ‘healthy’) … and let us know what you think on Twitter using the hashtag #yourpound

Earth Medicines market stall is unique in that it offers a free consultation service for simple complaints.  After a short consultation, where the needs of the client can be established and understood by the herbalist, the medicine is made up in the herbal dispensary and posted to the client.

Earth medincines sell a range of herbal teas and balms. Their lovely teas can also be found at another B£e business – Diverse Gifts.

So if you’ve not already signed up to Brixton Pound, pay-by-text – do so today and help support your local economy!

I got involved with the B£ because I wanted to make money work differently. There are so many problems with current economic power, from the way banks work to the exploitation involved in global supply chains, and we wanted to create an alternative. The B£ aims to make money accountable to the local community and ask questions about where the stuff that we buy comes form – asking if it could be produced closer to home.

Have we achieved our aims? Well, there is lots to be proud of. You can now spend Brixton Pounds on your mobile, council staff can be part-paid in Brixton Pounds, there are over 250 businesses signed up to the scheme and you can even pay some local taxes in the currency.

Of course we would like it if B£s was better known and more widely used within Brixton.  Many of the other changes are much more long-term. Shifting our economy so we produce more in Brixton isn’t going to happen overnight. In many cases the role of the Brixton Pound is to ask what businesses would like to buy locally, and what people who live in Brixton would like to be able to make.

And once you start looking there is so much potential in Brixton in terms of the skills and experiences that people have. I’ve met so many fantastic people – from the people who have ideas and family recipes that they are looking to trade – through to projects such as the Lambeth Poly growing salad leaves on the Tulse Hill estate and Brixton Energy who are generating solar on the Loughborough Estate.  It’s also been fantastic to get to know so many of the amazing local businesses that are keen to find more ways to support the local economy. We’ve been lucky to work with special local organisations such as the Market Traders Federation, numerous fantastic local charities, as well as Brixton Blog, Makerhood and many more.  As there are more and more problems with the national economy and austerity continues we must continue to work together to create an economy that uses the talent Brixton has rather than pricing it out.

Although I’ll be less involved in the Brixton Pound it’s really just the beginning. The Brixton Pound is proud to be working with Lambeth council on a much bigger project looking at developing a Lambeth wide currency. So, if you’ve not yet opened your Brixton Pound account or want to get involved as a volunteer or sign up as a business then do get in touch with either Jamey or Mehul on 07840 497544 or email info@brixtonpound.org.  You can also find out more and join us for a few drinks in Kaff Bar this Thursday the 21^st from 5.30pm.

This week we reached a milestone. We now have over 1000 B£ pay-by-text registered users. Pay-by-text was the first scheme of its kind to launch in the UK, well before any of the high street banks rolled out their mobile payment solutions – we are really delighted that the scheme has grown so quickly during its first 18 months.

The scheme has helped hundreds of people in Brixton increase their spending power (you get a 10% bonus every time you credit your account) and has encouraged more business to business trading. This all helps keep more money in Brixton and helps make our local economy more resilient.

Pay-by-text being used in Phoenix Cafe. Photo credit: Jonathan Goldberg – http://www.jongoldberg.co.uk/

We want to do even more for Brixton. We want to double the number our users we have in 2013 and increase circulation. We need your help to make this happen.

Here are five ways you can help us:

1). Open an account today if you don’t already have one and if you work for Lambeth Council sign up to Payroll Local.

2). Set up a standing order to your account so you never run low of B£e and are reminded to use them on a regular basis – account details can be found here.

3). Tell your friends about pay-by-text, show them how it works and encourage them to sign up.

4). Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Like and share our posts and please re-tweet.

5). Ask your favourite local, independent business to accept Brixton Pound pay-by-text.

Together we can build a resilient, sustainable, local economy.

Derrick Anderson, Chief Executive of Lambeth Council has now signed up to the scheme and has already received part of his salary in B£e. Watch him in this video with the fabulous Soner from Phonenix café showing you how its done.

So its as easy as that. With over 100 (108 in fact!) local independent businesses now accepting B£e there couldn’t be a better time to sign up. If you’re a Lambeth Council employee, sign up to the scheme here - it won’t take more than a few minutes.

We’re pleased to announce that there are now over 100 places where you can spend Brixton Pounds on your phone by using our snazzy new ‘Pay-By-Text’ function (also known as B£e or electronic Brixton Pounds). Have a look at all the lovely places you can spend them on the directory. There is a massive range, you can get booze at House of Bottles, a BLT at Phoenix or Banana’s at Faiz Foods.

Remember that every time you buy Brixton Pounds electronically you get an extra 10%! Yes you heard right, so if you top up your account using £10 you actually get B£e11.  Registering for an account is free and takes just a few minutes (do it here). What are you waiting for?

If you are struggling to find the perfect gift, relax, and give some Brixton Pounds. The lucky receiver will then be able to choose their own gift in over 200 local shops and eateries. And, to be honest, that’s much better than the dodgy sweater or socks you were going to joyfully wrap for them.

The notes come in four denominations, £1, £5, £10 and £20, otherwise known as Garrisons, Dengs, Bowies or Szabos (after the famous Brixton Faces on the notes). You can get the notes from issuing points around Brixton such as Morley’s (the menswear till) or 20 Storey in Market Row. For a full list and location of all the issuing points click here.