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Copperfields has the type of window display that beckons a browse, even if you’re not looking for something in particular. Curious shoppers may be surprised to hear the owner Kim Foster imparting advice on a variety of topics from property prices to politics as well as the specialist cookware items – he has been in the town since 1975, so he knows a lot!

Why did you choose to set up in Whitstable
I actually sold the shop more than 20 years ago, but that was acting as an estate agent in the town, so I knew the previous owners very well.
They considered closing the shop five years ago. I just couldn’t let that happen. I could see the development potential and didn’t want a shop that has been independently owned since the 1880s to disappear from the High Street. I decided to buy it with my daughter Gemma. It has been many things in its time, a brewery, hotel and blacksmiths – in fact, our till is on the site of where the blacksmiths used to shoe the horses for the post office.

What do you love about your business and working here?
I love the town and working with people, I’ve been here a long time. It’s like working in a village, although it’s a town it has a village atmosphere. You’ve got to like people and enjoy providing a service so I think this is the personal side that I enjoy really.

Are there any funny anecdotes that you can share?
We do have a lot of celebrities come in, there’s a lot of people who have homes here, but we are quite protective of them as they are entitled to a normal life. But I’m sure Tom Kerridge won’t mind me giving him a mention. He comes into the shop and is a great chef and he does a lot with the Sportsman. We sometimes have Eastenders actors in, but I don’t always notice them until one of the girls give me a nudge.

What is special about your products?
We spend a lot of time sourcing different cookware products and try to be individual and we will always endeavour to source something specific if our customer cannot find it in the shop. We travel to shows, factories and manufacturers to see what we can bring in that is different. We try to ensure that we have a high-quality product, so we never look for a high volume of sales, we look for customer satisfaction.

Who inspired you?
My mother gave me most of my inspiration. I lost my father aged 7 and my mother brought up my sister and I and gave me that direction in terms of work ethic, motivation and principles. My (maternal) grandfather was a borough surveyor on the Isle of Sheppey and my interest of property came from him I think. My father’s family had the fishing fleet in Sheppey, so my grandfather was selling fish at Sheerness docks, we have photos of him with cockles in barrows. Those boats were built in Whitstable so I feel like I’ve always had a link between my roots and Whitstable.
On the food side I think it must have been Floyd. He was the first TV food chef that made cooking look easy and fun. I love all types of food with a particular love of middle eastern cuisine.

How do you take your coffee?
I like Turkish espresso and I like certain cappuccinos – my favourite one in the town is the Tudor Tea Rooms – I love their coffee!

What do your customers say about you?
When people come in here, they always say ‘we love this shop’ there’s a lot of people who come from all over the country and even if they come here twice a year, they will always come in. They know that what they buy is good quality and it lasts. I would say we are friendly; we don’t hard sell and try and have a bit of fun with our customers.

Why do you think shopping local is important?
If people don’t shop local then shops don’t survive and you lose the high street and the community that comes with it. If someone shops with me and spends money in my shop, I spend mine in another local shop and then the money has a ripple effect of staying in the town economy. If we shop on a corporate basis then all this does is pay the shareholders. People receive a much better personal service too. My shoppers are a personality and not a number.

What has been your proudest moment or biggest achievement?
In 2016 we won Best Independent Cookshop in the UK – but we never lose sight of the fact that we are a local community shop though.

What is your biggest selling item?
We don’t have any one particular item. We won’t have things here that other shops will sell in the town. We say to our suppliers that we want it exclusively, but we do create a lot of things unique to us too. We work with artist Nigel Wallace to produce our own table mats, mugs and prints.

What other shops in Whitstable or Tankerton would you recommend to your customers?
I think we have some great shops in Whitstable and Tankerton. If people come in here and we don’t have the product they are looking for I will always recommend another shop. We send people to George’s, Stocks or Whites of Kent. I will never send anyone to B&Q or any other out of town shops.

Editor’s note:
Watch this space! Copperfield’s is expanding even more. We hope to be able to keep you up to date with the exciting developments early next year.

Before I interview shopkeeper Darren Simpson of the Bears Trading Company, I hear from various town sources that he is ‘The Man of Tankerton’. He humbly denies this (by declaring he is one of seven from The Talk of Tankerton team), but I can quickly tell that Darren is a man of creative conviction and a spirit that every independent trader needs on his side.

Why did you choose to set up in Tankerton
We very nearly didn’t! Peter and I had been looking for premises for three years and had actually found a farm in Scotland for a bed and breakfast. Then this shop became available which used to sell fruit and veg with a tearoom attached. When we viewed it, the landlady was someone I had worked with previously at Whitstable Castle. It felt like it was meant to be. We renovated it in 2016 and opened in November. Inside we created it into a frontier-style trading post from the early 1900s with clad walls and bears over the fireplaces and we specialise in offering great food and coffee and ice cream in our tea room with gorgeous bears to cuddle and collect along with gift items.
I was born in Castle Road and have lived in Whitstable all of my life, so it was great to be able to stay in the area.

What do you love about your business and working here?
It’s so laid back here and we work with other traders, there’s no ‘them and us’ amongst the shops. To be able to call owners friends is a real achievement. Tankerton has a really strong community.

Are there any funny anecdotes that you can share?
We did have a customer who knocked Peter out once by mistake! He was a dad who had rushed in to buy a present for his daughter’s birthday. He bought a 53-inch teddy bear and Peter carried it out to the gentleman’s car. He accidentally pulled the boot down on top of Peter’s head and knocked him out!

What is special about your products?
We are both from a hospitality background, I’ve trained as a chef and worked in hotels, Peter used to work on cross channel ferries and we are both collectors and love our bears. We wanted to combine our passions into a business for ourselves and endeavour to give all our customers we welcoming, positive experience.
On the bear side we have special cuddle bears for new-born upwards and the special collection bears such as the Charlie Bear collection and Steiff for serious collectors like ourselves. We have a lot of bear and food knowledge!

How do you take your coffee?
Hot and black and it has got to be a decent one. We have a bespoke coffee blend here at Bears Trading that we created especially for us. We only ever tell customers three of the ingredients out of the four to keep it secret. It is a blend of Columbian, Brazillian, New Guinea arabica style coffee beans and the last one is a secret. We are really fussy about our coffee.
A couple of times during the year we try to do a whole day of coffee tastings elsewhere. We have just done one in Brighton. We won’t do local tastings as we don’t want to duplicate what everyone else’s niche is, we will visit places such as London and Birmingham.

What do your customers say about you?
We are well known for our banter with our customers. Peter and I are not your normal quiet shop keepers, once we get to know them we have a laugh and a joke. We sometimes have to warn new customers who may come in during fun chit-chat. It is like welcoming people into our own home. We just want everyone to feel welcomed even doggies!

Why do you think shopping local is important?
To me local independent traders are the heart and soul of any community. There are people out there that rely on shops. We provide a space where people can feel welcomed and talked to, especially if they are on their own. With the Talk of Tankerton group, we give something back as the community too as they support us 52 weeks of the year and if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be here. We arrange new planters, clean up graffiti, arrange Christmas lights and it is all paid for by the local businesses.

What has been your proudest moment or biggest achievement?
Being nominated for Great British High Street awards. This will also be our fourth Christmas here and with the Talk of Tankerton this Christmas is set to be the best yet. I am proud to work with a great team of people who have put their energy into bringing this together.

What is your biggest selling item?
On the food side it would be our sticky salted caramel cake. On the gift side, it would definitely be our bears!

What other shops in Whitstable or Tankerton would you recommend to your customers?
All of them! Any independent shop, go and support them and spend money in them. It is the only way high streets will survive. Even if you just browse and say hello– it all helps.

Editor’s note:
I’m planning to treat my mum to one of their famous savoury afternoon teas and make a guess at that fourth ingredient in their bespoke coffee blend.

As far back as the Romans, oysters were not the delicacy they are today, mainly eaten by the poor because they were cheap to buy or foraged from the sea. During the early 19th century the biggest provider of oysters worldwide was New York harbour.

As many as six thousand oysters could be found on barges along the city’s harbour on any one day and the people of the city loved them. They were a source of affordable nutrition and the industry provided much-needed employment for hundreds of local men and women.

Demand was so great it eventually drained many of the oyster beds, when foreign oysters were introduced in an attempt to help raise stock levels they also introduced disease, this along with effluent and a rise in sedimentation from erosion, most of the New York beds were empty by the beginning of the 20th century.

The popularity and demand for the wild oyster led to shortages which in turn led to big price increases, oysters were no longer accessible to the working classes and became the expensive delicacy they are considered today.

Wild oysters are especially are a great source of minerals including iron, zinc and selenium as well as vitamin B12 especially when eaten raw.

This weekend the famous Whitstable oyster is being celebrated at the family-friendly Oyster Festival, go along and have a taste of the sea there is nothing like it find out why they have been so popular for thousands of years.

Whitstable’s traditional charms, strong arts culture and rich maritime history sit easily with its renaissance. Its main streets are packed with craft shops and galleries, delis and fashion shops trading side by side with butchers and bakers. Stories from Whitstable’s past unfold at the town museum where history is brought to life in displays and permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Along the coast at Tankerton, grassy slopes dip to meet the sea, throwing out an invitation to visitors and locals to walk along the prom and take in some bracing sea air. And, of course, there are Whitstable’s oysters, which remain an intrinsic part of this sea town’s. Oysters and other fruits of the sea can be enjoyed in local restaurants and pubs or taken home from the fresh fish market at the harbour.