Explore East London’s Dalston with floral entrepreneur Kaiva Kaimins

Florist Kaiva Kaimins may have been born in Australia, but Dalston is home.

Kaimins lives and works in the East London enclave, where she set up her floral studio, My Lady Garden, in 2020.

It is the physical manifestation of her Instagram account by the same name, which she started during flower school in 2016. It now has more than 50,000 followers.

“I eventually wanted to work for myself full time,” Kaimins told CNBC Travel. “I had booked a few events for the summer, so took the leap to start my own studio.”

Covid-19 lockdowns expedited the process. As in-person events were canceled, Kaimins focused on weekly flower deliveries and walk-in flower sales until she could build up her wedding and events business again.

Many of Kaimins’ neighbors have similar stories of pandemic-era side hustles that evolved into full-time careers.

In the latest episode of CNBC’s travel series Downtime, Kaimins gave us a tour of some of her favorites, including:

• Papo’s Bagels, a homage to the New York bagel shop, serving seven varieties including the famous “Everything” bagel.
• Dead Good Coffee, a café that turns into a bar by night, with a disco ball and music to match.
• Oeno Maris, a fishmonger with a wine bar in the back that hosts regular sashimi nights.
• Broadway market, a hub for independent shops and restaurants, perfect for a Sunday stroll.
• Dan’s wine shop, a laid-back bar that specializes in natural wines.

Watch the video above for an insider’s look at how to enjoy your downtime in Dalston.