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Much has gone on of late in Margate Old Town and if I had a pound for every person that came into Qing and said ‘I had no idea this gorgeous part of Margate existed!’, closely followed by ‘What a beautiful shop!’, I’d be a rich girlie for sure. Now that we have managed to get better signage to lead you away from the sea front, down the narrow little streets to where Market Place opens up with shops, galleries and cafes, visitors and locals alike are delighted at the transformation that has become ‘Margate’s Creative Quarter’.

Still, it is an Old Town of two halves, most of us are only open the latter half of the week at the moment, trying to fit other jobs around our businesses and help regenerate Margate, so it may well seem quiet as you wander round on a Tuesday morning. Come Thursday however, it is positively bustling with activity and the general feedback is really positive.

Loads goes on down here, from print exhibitions with large steam rollers (watch out for Pushing Print), to monthly markets during the Summer. Only last week ‘Blackbird’ a shop and workshop venue, run by textile designer Maxine Sutton, opened its doors next to the delicious Cup Cake Cafe. The old ‘No.6’ restaurant is going through a change of hands and rumour has it there will be a touch of Caribbean influence in some of the dishes. I say rumour, I saw the chef and asked… never been one to beat about the bush!

So for all the news and views I’ll try to keep you updated on what is Margate Old Town. Any info that you can share, do pop in, I love a chat!