A Peckham business owner, who has lived and worked in the area for seventeen years, is now homeless after claiming he has been pushed out by ‘gentrification.’
Up until a few months ago, Richard Bliss, or ‘Rich’ as he is widely known in the area, ran K-Ink, a tattoo parlour in Copeland Park.
In 2019, he was even featured as a success story in the local magazine, Community Bridges, for how far he had come amidst a difficult start in life.
At just fifteen years old, Rich found himself homeless after his dad died of an overdose. He said he came to Peckham in search of a better life – and found it.
But now Rich feels he has been pushed out of where he called home and is homeless again.
In January, he was forced to shut his business in Copeland Park and leave his shared house of twelve years on Bellenden Road after the cost of living got ‘too much.’
The 37-year-old told us: “My landlord kept putting up the rent and it got to a point where none of us could afford to live there.”
This coincided with the loss of his once-successful business in Copeland Park.
“It was going really well at the start,” he explained. “We managed to create a community around the studio and there was a lot of stuff happening. It was a vibe.”
However, he said when the ‘demographic’ changed, so did the footfall.
“The same culture isn’t there,” he commented.
“It was more working professionals, not people looking for tattoos so much anymore.”
Rich said having to give up his business eventually led him to a breakdown: “I ended up being put in a psychiatric home.
“It has affected me in every essence of being. From my mental health to my physical health.”
Before owning K-Ink, he spent ten years managing the Bussey Building nightclub (which closed after a fire in 2020.)
He described himself as someone who ‘helped form’ the community in Peckham and was a character ‘everyone knew.’
“This is happening all around London,” he said, “The areas which used to be affordable, where people used to be able to access culture, a sense of community, have been suffocated by the corporate sense of money.”
In 2019 it was revealed that house prices in Peckham over the 25 years prior rose faster than ‘any other UK district.’
Once known for poverty, crime and high unemployment, it looks very different today.
On a visit to his old stomping ground, Rich bumped into friend and restaurateur, Bash Redford – owner of Forza Wine and Forza Win – who was shocked to learn about his situation.
Visibly taken aback, he pointed to the car park and asked Rich: “What? You’re not here now?”
Talking to the News, Bash said: “The issue with gentrification is that the people from the area are not included in the meteoric rise – as we’ve seen in Peckham.”
“It can feel inaccessible to the people that have grown up here.”
After being saved in 2008, by a campaign spearheaded by Peckham Vision, Copeland Park currently houses nearly 100 businesses – including art studios, galleries and restaurants.
For the last 25 years, the Wilson family have run it.
Lorelie Wilson said ‘they too’ had observed much change over those years.
She explained: “As custodians of iconic heritage buildings such as the Bussey Building, we are committed to ensuring the site is not simply turned into more high-rise apartment buildings. Rather, we’re endeavouring to cultivate a sustainable creative community asset, with place and space available for use by creative businesses, emerging artists and the broader community.”
“Copeland Park is a hub of activity, with nearly 100 businesses on-site employing over 700 people.”
They added that 30 per cent of their tenants were on discounted rents. However, they could not say how tenants were chosen for discounted rates.
Commenting on his situation, Copeland Park said whilst they were ‘very sad’ to see Rich go, they believed they had ‘provided various types of support’ to him over the years.
Rich is currently living in temporary accommodation in New Cross.
“It’s horrible,” he shared. “I can’t sleep because there’s constant noise and fights outside. And there are rats.”
His brand, K-Ink is still going, despite not having a premises.
Having picked himself ‘out of the gutter,’ Rich has set his sights on building a platform for artists – something he had started before having to close K-Ink.
Rich said: “I want to give opportunities to artists from poorer backgrounds and help to champion them across the creative arts.”
He has set up a fundraiser to bring back the tattoo shop and make his dream of giving opportunities to the disadvantaged a reality.
Southwark Council was approached for comment.
Click here to donate to Rich’s cause.