Brixton's Safehouse
A tiny vinyl‑and‑plant bar making room for everyone—famous or not
Tucked among the colourful shops and opposite the Black farmer, HAUS feels less like a shop and more like a tiny living room that decided to throw a party—plants spilling over shelves, records within reach, and Simone, the owner, always smiling and down to chat.
The motto isn't just painted on the vibe; it's a practice: "My Haus is your Haus."
Like so many small businesses, HAUS didn't arrive as a business plan. During lockdown, the founder Simone asked herself what she loved enough to build a world around—and then, with a nudge from a friend and a sudden set of keys, she did. An eclectic space, a collage of her obsessions: music, greenery, community.
People still walk in asking, What is this?
"I always respond yes: It's a vinyl‑and‑plant concept that insists on being more than one thing, because Brixton has always contained multitudes. Inside, the plants do what they've always done—steady the breath, soften the noise, bring the room to life"
I learned as much from studies as from my Caribbean grandmothers: snake plant for protection, jade for prosperity; place a plant in the southeast corner to help energy (and maybe luck) flow. It's botanical care braided with feng shui intuition and everyday joy. Pair that with a new record, a conversation, and something from the small bar, and strangers start feeling like regulars.
Friday nights are the accelerator. Simone hands the decks to emerging women DJs who are still carving a lane into clubland. The sound is the city's own—Afrobeats with a UK swing one week; bashment and rare groove the next. Then there's the night built for sub‑bass lovers: a full dubstep takeover, resurrecting a Brixton frequency that drifted away. Doors 7–11 pm. It's a bit culty if you see it, but it's simple, proud platforming—real gigs, real crowds, and the kind of first booki
ngs young selectors remember.
And yes, famous faces slip in. Michael B. Jordan browsed records and left the comments section melting. Malala Yousafzai popped in for a jade plant—then shouted HAUS out on her own feed. That's lovely; it isn't the headline. The headline is the room full of locals who finally feel like there's a spot built for them.
Ask Simone why the magic sticks and she'll point to Brixton itself—the centre of South London, where the senses wake up the second you exit the tube. In her shop, a priest once sat beside a ticket tout, a non‑binary doctor, and a pair of Chelsea girls, all talking like old friends. That's the North Star: a space where everyone is welcome—especially LGBTQ+ folks looking for somewhere that feels deliberately safe. "My house is their house," she says, and means it."
The future? Think bigger than a single arch. Simone is planning to open HAUS as a constellation: Accra, Lagos, Lisbon, LA—each one tuned to its city, each one local first. There's a sketch on the table for a members bar that's still radically inclusive; talk of a record label and podcasts to platform unsigned artists; and a steady line for medicinal teas and well‑being tinctures people already love at the shop. It's the same formula scaled: culture + care, dance floor + day plant.
Plan your visit
Find HAUS at 30 Market Row, Brixton, SW9 8LD—look for the greenery and the decks. Weekly event details, late openings, and pop‑ups are posted on Instagram; check the pinned updates and reels for what's next.