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So yes, Margate is now a booming hub of Hackney-on-sea wonderfulness: health foods, record shops, yoga studios and Monmouth coffee galore, which is all great.

Sadly, current big name press is using the emergence of these new places to create “Hipster Hate”, and divisions; but if you actually come and spend some time in Margate you’ll realise that this is mostly just press and the self-serving agendas of their writers causing this divide.

What is important, however, is to not forget what already existed in Northdown Road which made it so appealing in the first place to many of it’s new residents.

One of the best shops on Northdown Road is definitely the Halal Shop, next to the Premier, (which has a free cash point just outside), jus’ so ya know.

From the outside it just looks like an off license, (bar the big HALAL decal on the window) – but inside it is a wondrous cavern of spices, teas, grains and the most incredibly zesty Bangladeshi lemons! Further to this they have a huge fuckoff secret freezer room in the back which is host to the most vibrant scotch bonnet and birds eye chillies, celeriac and chunky organic carrots, not to forget huge buckets of yoghurt and peanut butter.

And if fresh produce isn’t your vibe you can still pick up a “Big Baby Pop”, from the counter on your way out!

And all this probably for like £2.30, or maybe £3.13, depends on who’s in that day and what they feel like charging you. But it’s gonna be pretty affordable! You can find £3 from picking pennies off the street for a couple of hours.

Let us not forget why many of us came here. Fuck the big press! We like a good coffee and a record, but we also like human interaction and making friends with the people over the counter. And especially when your weeks worth of veg is under a Fiver!

So get to the Halal shop, buy a Lemon. It’s a proper good shout!

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Written and Recommended by Ted Rogers “Artpornblog”

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