Margate is a seaside town in Thanet, South-East England. It
was once a well-known holidaymaker hotspot, where families would flock to
indulge in the seaside culture of fish and chips, candyfloss, icecream, rock
and sand. Mods and Rockers swarmed into
the town in the 1960s, causing trouble on holiday weekends. The theme park,
Dreamland, was a huge attraction for all ages, and arcades were full of
children and teenages, begging their parents for more coppers. Unfortunately
this is, for the most part, now just an image of Margate, whilst the
high-street stands as a ghost town. The episode A Jolly Outing, in Only Fools
and Horses, summed up what Margate was – A Jolly Outing – and it still could be!
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| Margate Harbour Arm - with some fantastic bars, cafes and gallery spaces. |
THE OLD TOWN AND HOW WE ARE AN ART TOWN
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| Artwork in the train station - a lovely surprise when I came home! |
In more recent years, Margate has found itself struggling to
keep tourists attracted, and in the winter season, it collapses altogether.
However, there is still success in the area, and it is they who we shall learn
from. The Old Town is a shining example of what Margate should be heading for.
People look for charm and character, something original, and that is exactly
what this quarter delivers. Its vintage style and charm is a reflection of the
town’s heyday, but with a retro-futurist edge. The clusters of cafes, vintage
clothes shops, quirky bars and art galleries bring an interesting edge into the
area, and people LOVE IT. After losing yourself in beautiful clothes (some
homemade and 100% original), you could find yourself sitting in Angela’s café,
what looks to be a regular greasy spoon, but turns out to be so, so much more.
You indulge in something delicious, in a setting that somewhat resembles an
old, American diner, the walls donned with images of Margate’s very own Mods
and Rockers, before heading to her vintage pinball room to play on some truly
nostalgic machines. Afterwards, you could head across to the Lighthouse Bar, a
sweet, nautical little bar with a selection of ciders and ales to try, before
going to local art galleries and, of course, the Turner Centre. All in all, the
old town is beautiful. They indulge the artistic and quirky side of our seaside
town, and blow it up for everyone to see. In the summer season, music is often
staged outside for various events, and the tiny area around Pete’s Fish
Factory, Milos and Kiss Me Quick is soon teeming with people. Why can’t the
rest of Margate follow this example?
My personal opinion is that Margate could truly become an
art town. The Turner Centre has brought in thousands of visitors each year, and
the town is bursting at the seams with local talent from artists, performers,
musicians, dancers, filmmakers and writers. Utilising this could be a key
factor in the rise of our dying town.
MORE FESTI-FUN
It’s no secret to any of us Thanet locals; we do love a good
party. Broadstairs Folk Week sees the small town filled with people from all
walks of life, coming together to enjoy the atmosphere, stalls, live music,
activities and, of course, Morris Dancers. Considering the successes of all of
the local festivals and carnivals that brighten up our area in the summer
period, why not consider some winter ones? With the large amount of indoor
venues and bars, the festival fun could continue through the Christmas period,
and hopefully bring more money into the area.
NO TO TESCO
The plans for a Tesco superstore on the seafront of Margate
is, in my opinion, not a good idea. I understand the idea behind the amount of
jobs it will bring to the area, but what we are not looking at is the huge
amount of jobs that it will also take away from some of the smaller industries
surrounding it. Picture it this way - Tesco’s will be clever and knows the area
it’s in. It won’t consider the bucket and spade shop that has been stood by the
arcades for years, and it won’t consider the café, or ice cream stores on the
sea front, but it WILL consider its own profit. So, of course Tesco is going to
target the most likely audience – tourists. Just think of the discounted packs
of ice lollies, and low priced meal deals that will take money out of the small
businesses, who have built their living on this target market.
All in all, we have been given pretty much one Tesco per
town (no, really, and they want to build on in Westgate too – an even smaller
town) and I think the locals are getting sick. Where is the creativity, the
originality, the character? Nobody wants to visit a town that looks like all
the others, so why are we filling a valuable building space, which could be
turned into so much more, into yet another superstore?
I agree with the public – No to Tesco.
KISS ME QUICK, PORTAS!
Mary Portas, the crowned ‘Queen of the High-street’ chose
Margate as one of her Portas Pilots, a project in which the intelligent and
savvy seller aims to reboot some of the UK’s dying high-street. We were in
desperate need of her help, but sadly the attitudes of some members of the
residents, and shockingly some of the Margate Town Taskforce, prevented her
from truly helping. The one man who did listen was Billy, the owner of the
fantastic Kiss Me Quick! which is in
the Old Town. Following the visits from Portas, Billy’s shop has become a
booming business with a fantastic range of tourist treats, an original design
collection from Tracey Emin herself, and a cheeky range of naughty treats for
adults, a true reflection of Margate’s mischievous nature. Why was Billy the
only one who was successful? Because he put what Portas said into practice.
Since her visit, the town has not hosted another ‘in-land pier’ (a fantastic
idea, which saw the street teeming with visitors), and are still sat pondering
what it is that will make Margate rise once more.
Portas was also hugely disappointed, and strongly disagrees
with the bid for a Tescos in Margate. My proposal would be that the town give
her a second chance and work with her to ensure that Tescos is not Margate’s
future – and for the Taskforce to sit with her, members of the council and our
local MPs in an open forum with members of the public to form a thinktank of
ideas that will bring Margate back on its feet – and this time for good.
To me, there are so many brilliant ideas that should be put
forward to rejuvenate Margate, and they’re not being heard. Margate – let’s do
something about this, let’s get the voices of your public heard over the large
corporations and town officials.
The website for Kiss Me Quick is here .
Read about the Taskforce here
Follow Mary Portas on Twitter here
If you are a member of the Taskforce and would like to contact me about anything I've spoken about here, please feel free to message me.
