Oh Deer, an artisan café and bakery serving overnight oats, French pastries and feta buns used to be Bill’s Tattoo Studio which needled away here, for over 50 years. He was described as legendary by the people of Leith but had to put the shop up for sale after a bout of ill health. This new café is one of the many establishments changing the face of Leith Walk. Is this change for the better? And how is it affecting the people of Leith?

Wanting to find out more about the way the area used to be, I spoke to Leith local Rachel Glen. Rachel has been a customer of one of Leith Walk’s oldest and most authentic pubs, Robbie’s, for over 35 years. After telling me about the countless laundromats and chip shops that peppered the street, she said the walk used to be a much rougher and dangerous area and the bottom used to be a no go zone due to violence.

But at the same time, she talked of how Leith used to be much more of a community. People used to be much more friendly, and sociable than they are now. I believe the people who have lived in Leith for decades make up the heart of the area. They are the reason it has the sense of community that we see in our pubs and restaurants up and down the walk.

As a frequent visitor, I have witnessed the changes with my own eyes. There are dozens cafes and delis on and I gained some Intel from one of Leith’s favourite bakeries, Hobz. After selling baked goods via Leith Walk’s police box and markets, owners Matthew and Julianna decided to settle down and lease their now popular store.

Locating in Leith was a ‘no brainer’ for Hobz as the owners felt welcomed by the local community. With the majority of their customer base being returning locals, Matthew says: “I’d like to think we’ve helped create, along with the other amazing artisans in the area, a community of small businesses that truly love our craft.”

So, Leith Walk now has a new atmosphere and I wonder, how this change happened? I spoke to Peter Mason, one of the owners of Leith Depot and founder of the save Leith Walk campaign. The campaign was created to prevent the building of student flats at the bottom of the walk. The campaign was successful after almost a year of fighting against developers and was the major starting point for the change.

Leith Depot used to be The Meridian, it was dubbed “Edinburgh’s worst bar” and closed down following violent clashes. However, the red brick building has been transformed and it now contains a community bar with a music venue for local bands. Inviting a more diverse customer base with the ‘queer ass punk social’, comedy nights and weekly pub quizzes, it is loved by people from all walks of life and is a good balance between new and old Leith.

Artisan cafes and delis are definitely a major component in Leith Walks changing face. They bring in a different and more diverse clientele, who then, over time, start becoming more frequent visitors. Rachel told me her view and said that there are positive aspects such as more diversity, new cultural cuisines and far less violence than there used to a couple decades ago.

However, she also said that it has “knocked the heart out of it” and explained that the expensive tastes of the new comers make it harder for people to afford to live in Leith. Prices of flats are going up and young people can’t buy properties. This means that the only young people in the area are uni students, living in the nearby accommodation.

The artisans believe they have created a community within the bottom of the walk and from my visits I would have to agree. The cafes themselves have an upbeat atmosphere with a modern yet classy feel to them. The café owners and customers are all friendly and chatty people.

This makes me think that maybe the ‘heart’ of the area has not disappeared, it has just taken on a different form. ■