Friday, May 09, 2008

Margate Monkey Bites The Dust

Crummings! Yet another closure in Margate's Venerable Town, as predicted here on the tip-top blog for the Thanetians!

This occasion it is Harbour Monkey which will be scampering back up the tree for eternity, superseding less than one year vends of cards, photographic printings, bags and home accessorise. Which is full shame since Mrs Ceaucescu (no relation) was big-up fan of the joint, making no mistake. The owner lady, Mrs Julie Compton, relates:

I am closing the doors on Harbour Monkey (the shop) on Saturday 10th May. It has been a great adventure and I have met lots of wonderful people in the process of setting up and running the shop. I am really proud of what I have achieved in just a year and will definitely have a lump in my throat when I lock the door for the last time.

Unfortunately, there are just not enough visitors to the Old Town yet. Only last weekend I had people come through the door who live literally 10 minutes walk away who never visit Margate Old Town. Realistically I think it will be 2 - 3 years before it gets busier and I just can't bridge the money gap between now and that time.

The Harbour Monkey brand will continue though, encompassing my own photography in the form of greetings cards and prints, as well as commissioned artwork. I am talking to other local businesses about stocking some of my work and hope to have some more information on that soon. My website will be updated very shortly to reflect this.

I still love Margate and the Old Town, and really hope that it will be buzzing with lots of small businesses before too long. If you are about on Saturday 10th - please pop in.


Sorrowful for the listening, Julie, but best of British felicity with futures.

Knock here for seeing Harbour Monkey website

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also own a business near the old town, and at the moment it is survival and the threat of closure. Tdc does not seem to care about local business, and how their policies are excelerating current decline. One feels they are only interested in revenue, and not the health of the local economy.

Anonymous said...

For f*cks sake, when is this fecking art gallery going to be built or are the cones on Fort Hill an arty experiment and I don't get it?

Anonymous said...

The cones are probably number 14 after the wood shed on the art trail in the old town..ART??????????