By Holly Lambert
New businesses opening in Broadstairs this year are bringing additional places to eat, shop and drink to the seaside town. If you want to shop local and support small businesses, here is a list of some new spots to explore this summer.
Bakes by Jess
New to Broadstairs High Street is bakery ‘Bakes by Jess’ which opened just under two months ago on May 25th.
Jess Twyman, 33, began baking as a hobby in lockdown during 2020, however, her hobby soon turned into something more. She said: “My family told me I had a talent, and I should try putting it out there, so I started offering birthday cakes which turned into selling at food markets.”
Jess began to sell her selection of cakes, cookies and other sweet treats at local events in Thanet, such as Broadstairs Food Festival and Cliftonville Farmers Market, gaining popularity and leading to many days of sell-outs.
Jess has always lived in Thanet and now lives in Ramsgate with her husband, who runs the business alongside her. She also has two children, who are seven and nine years old.
She had considered opening a bakery before, but location above all things was an important factor for her. When this spot right on the High Street became available, she thought it would be the perfect place to start her new adventure.
Her husband added:“Jess has a flair for creating things” which has been channelled into her business.
Bakes by Jess is currently open Wednesdays to Sundays, 10am to 4pm. Time outside of opening hours is spent preparing for the coming days so the counter can be fully stocked with freshly baked treats.
Her counter has an amazing selection of delicious baked treats, with gluten-free and vegan options on offer.
To follow updates on her bakery, her Facebook page is here.
memento
memento is a newly opened gift shop located on Eldon Place.
The mother-daughter business opened its doors at the beginning of April this year, stocking the works of local, talented artists in Thanet and the surrounding areas.
Liz and Ellie Galloway are the pair behind the shop, who sell art from the likes of Lisa Illustrations, a popular isle artist; Crispin Finn, with hand screen-printed art, and Nina Paloma, who handcrafts and paints pottery in Deal.
Lisa McGuinness has recently created artwork in collaboration with South Eastern Railway, which is available to buy in-store alongside original canvas paintings.
The family moved from Reading to Broadstairs in 2011, and have lived here ever since. Liz, also owner of Kit Lifestyle and Little Kit, has two sons alongside her daughter.
She said: “When the space became available, we wanted to be able to showcase the talent of local artists that Thanet has to offer. We stock a range of handmade gifts that are the perfect gift or keepsake for visitors, or for locals of Broadstairs.”
Ellie, a student at Portsmouth University, has been carefully choosing brands to fit the business’ theme, as well as designing the store’s logo and branding.
memento is open every day this summer, hours being 10-4 Monday to Friday, 9-5 on Saturday & 10-3 Sunday (all weather dependant).
You can find them on Instagram here, @mementobroadstairs
Partenopei
This new Italian restaurant brings classic food from Naples straight to the heart of Broadstairs.
Partenopei, on Albion Street, is a newly opened business run by four Italian friends, Alessio, Francesco, Leo and Pietro.
Alessio explained that they wish to present their vision of Napolitan cuisine to Thanet, expressing how Italian food varies across regions.
He said: “This is something completely different, this is an Italian restaurant but with a Neapolitan twist. We are trying to make people aware that there are different Italian foods, because Italy, from north to south, always has different foods.”
The friends moved from Naples to Broadstairs in 2011, working in hospitality, before they took on the opportunity of opening their very own restaurant.
Alessio added: “We are friends, so instead of working for other restaurants, we put all of our energy and our knowledge together to make something better.”
Since moving to Broadstairs, the four partners have settled down and have children of their own, Alessio has a boy who is one year old.
They always source local produce, fish and meat to ensure the best quality ingredients, all year round. Partenopei opened just three months ago, and is open every day from noon to 9:30pm, with the exception of closing earlier at 7:30pm on Sundays.
You can find them online to book a table via this link or by calling 01843 862559.
Bar Ingo
Bar Ingo opened its doors on Friday, July 5th, serving Spanish-inspired small plates, alongside great wine and cocktails.
Bar owner Tomas Eriksson, originally from Sweden, moved to London in 2001, before making the decision to move to Thanet in 2016 to pursue his career in hospitality.
The bar will serve San Sabastian-inspired dishes from Northern Spain. Tomas, 44, is hoping to create a casual dining and drinking space, which brings together members of the community. He said: “We are aiming to create a neighbourhood restaurant, that is open seven days a week, where you can pop in two or three times a week. That is our goal.”
He added: “We don’t want it to be an occasional restaurant, we want people to come when they want, lunch, afternoon or evening.”
Previously owning two places in Margate, New Street Bistro and Waverly House, he wanted to move to a smaller venue to continue his passion for food and drink.
The business is family run, with one of his sons Rio, 20, working alongside him. Thomas also has three other sons, aged 28, 25 and 13.
Bar Ingo will be open seven days a week, open 12pm to 9pm, and is located at 9 York Street, Broadstairs.
You can follow them on Instagram here.
Albie & Pearl
Stocking curated vintage homeware pieces, Albie & Pearl is the newest addition to Broadstairs’ Chandos Road.
Owner Marie Pontefract opened her doors on June 1st, sharing her passion for beautiful homeware, and having a sustainable approach to interior.
Marie has lived in Thanet for five years after moving down from London in 2019.
Aside from homeware accessories such as lighting figures and shades, kitchen dishes and glassware, she also stocks vintage jewellery and artsy gifts. She also has a selection of vintage artwork from the 40s, 50s and 80s available to add a unique feature to any home.
Marie said that her items “are the sort of pieces that you buy and love forever” adding that her store is focused around “joyful homeware that has a sense of playfulness to it.”
The store name is named after her two children, Albie and Pearl. Living and going to school in Broadstairs made the shop’s location ideal for Marie’s lifestyle.
Her website, with stock available to shop online, can be found here. She is also on Instagram as @albie_and_pearl.
