Shop Local
Spread the festive cheer this year and shop local. Folkestone’s Creative Quarter is full of fantastic independent shops and businesses. From vintage Christmas jumpers to stunning works of art and more, the Creative Quarter could be a one-stop shop for all your yuletide needs.
Covid-19 has had a huge impact on businesses across the country and independent artists and creative businesses have been hit harder than most. Here in Folkestone, we celebrate those that do things differently, champion the underdog and are proud of our creative spirit.
This Christmas let’s all do our bit to make sure that Folkestone remains one of the best places for creative, independent business. Show some love and shop local this Christmas.
Explore the Creative Quarter directory here to see some of the shops, eateries and businesses waiting to be discovered:
https://www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/folkestone-creative-quarter/community/shopping/
It is important this Christmas that we all shop safely and here are some of our top tips:
- Wear a face-covering – In and around the Creative Quarter we encourage you to wear a face mask as much as possible. The streets are narrow, and the shops are small so please wear a mask and we can all enjoy a Merry Chris-MASK.
- Keep your distance – As much as possible please keep your distance as others. Many shops do have a one-in-one-out policy so please come prepared to wait if you need to.
- Wash your hands – it is natural to pick up and touch objects when browsing and shopping. Make sure you sanitise your hands before entering and leaving each business and wash your hands thoroughly before eating or touching your face.
- Pay by Card – Where possible we encourage the use of contactless payment to reduce the risk of infection. If this is not possible for you then ask the shop owners about making your purchase online later instead.
- Come back later – As it is Christmas the Creative Quarter may get very busy. If it is busy, please try and come back later. Or check our social media channels where we will be sharing online shopping offers from many of the Creative Quarter tenants.
- Don't travel – As Folkestone is in tier 3 our advice is to not travel to Folkestone or Kent if you are in another tier region. Following government and scientific advice, non-essential travel into a tier 3 region is not permitted. For more advice and guidance please visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Working together, we can support artists and creative businesses and keep each other safe this Christmas.