Banksy fish shop owner reveals safety worries after newfound fame

The owner of a fish shop in north London with a Banksy piece on the sign has revealed his safety concerns with the newfound attention he’s getting.

George Christou, 37, said he was on holiday when he got a call from a customer about someone graffitiing the side of his restaurant.

The next day, he discovered the art was actually a piece from Banksy – making his fish shop in Walthamstow a major stopping point for art lovers.

He said: ‘Family I haven’t heard from for a while were like, ‘This is amazing George, what do you think?’ – I don’t really know what to think at the moment.

‘Obviously, it’s amazing. But then I was sort of getting worried and scared because I wasn’t there at the shop.

‘And so I was thinking what’s gonna happen? Is someone gonna try and steal it or break in or damage it? You don’t really know what people will do.’

Worried about potential damage and safety concerns, George reached out to his MP and paid for a security team to look after his building for a few nights until he got home.

The artwork has now been covered by a team from an art shop to protect it from any damage – but the price of his fish shop has likely skyrocketed with the addition of the new artwork.

Despite this, George doesn’t seem eager to sell, adding: ‘We’ve been here for a very, very long time, so we feel part of the community.

‘I remember when we came here, (there were) kids going to school, and now they’ve grown up and taking their own kids to school. So we feel like we’re part of the furniture.

‘…We just have to keep on going until we can’t go any more. Maybe it was just meant to be. I was meant to have it (the wall) covered two times, but for whatever reason, that didn’t happen, and then obviously, now that Banksy has decided to do it on our wall – maybe everything happens for a reason.

‘The reason I like it is because it’s just simple. It’s not too detailed. Sometimes simple is better. And it’s pretty cool, the way he linked in the fish on the sign.’

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