Poshest corner shop in town

There's a new must-hangout place. Not a club, not a spa, not an overpriced eatery (though it's stuffed with scrumptious food), nor an alcohol-fuelled ravery. No, it's the poshest corner shop in London. And it's called The Store.

Opened this year on Westbourne Park Villas, Notting Hill, by Greekborn Catherine Hadoulis, 28, and her Spanish boyfriend, Jorge Fernandez, 29, the two-floored shop and sunny forecourt has become a magnet for local actors (Sadie Frost), models (Kate Moss), pop stars (Bjork, the Sugababes), long-time locals and builders alike. There's a cafè-cum-deli on the ground floor, dried goods downstairs plus a big table with books and backgammon and a guitar propped in the corner.

Stella McCartney, who lives a few doors down in Westbourne Park Road, picks up organic groceries and breakfasts on freshly made fruit salad and the best latte in town. The coffee should be good: Fernandez runs the Monmouth Coffee Company, based in Covent Garden, and is "completely obsessed", according to Catherine.

Like many of the best ideas, it evolved by accident. Catherine was fed up with her job at the Home Office - "I'd wanted what my mother called a real job, but after a year I got bored" - and one day, wandering around the area, Catherine and Jorge happened on the space, formerly an office building, and started playing What Ifs?

"We'd always wanted to run a small coffee business with real love and attention - the opposite of the big chains. But we wanted to do more than coffee and we loved the idea of a real community shop where you could buy everything from loo paper and dishwasher powder to supper when all your friends suddenly descend."

Within four months, they had remortgaged, refurbished the premises and opened the doors - which stay open from 7.30am to 8.30pm weekdays, 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Pricewise, The Store might not have reward cards, but it is reasonable. A bowl of freshly made Greek salad - with proper feta and lots of good green olive oil - is about four quid, a coffee £1.50.

Off-the-shelf goods don't have a big mark-up. "I pay a lot for the products, but we try to keep it reasonable," says Catherine. "We didn't spend much on redoing the shop so we haven't got that to recoup. We want to do OK, but most importantly we want to have fun."

A lot of locals work from home, and wander into The Store for a chat. The shop's real USP is the friendliness of the staff - Catherine is helped out by old school friends Richard (photographer and model) and Gus (microbiologist and guitar player). "We designed it to resemble a family kitchen with produce everywhere and no counter between customers and the coffee machine. It's like a village round here and we wanted that atmosphere."

Tom Conran's Californian wife, Cynthia - they live a few doors up - says this is what makes The Store "so really cool. They're just superfriendly. Our baby, Iris, loves it; she just wants to cram in the home-made brownies. It's a great addition to the area." Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Metro - you have been warned.

97 Westbourne Park Villas, W2 (020 7792 3369).