The Steep Street Life - Folkestone
New ideas and bloomin’ good coffee keeps Steep Street fun
When Alice Larkin and Stephen Brothwell stumbled across a vacant building in Folkestone’s vibrant Old High Street it sealed the deal on their dream of opening a book cafe.
The couple had spent years researching how they could make this dream a reality, but the perfect spot hadn’t come up. Until then.
That was back in 2015 and the pair, living in Brighton at the time, left their jobs and took a punt. And so Steep Street was born.
“It felt like destiny, the perfect place for our imaginary dream coffee shop to become reality,” says Alice. “We have always loved cafes as casual spaces that welcome people from all walks of life, offering high-quality coffee and great food.
“Our focus has been on creating a beautiful space where people can come for the buzz of conversation and to indulge in our ever-changing menu of home-baked cakes and light savoury options.”
Alice says their amazing bakers and huge ovens form the powerhouse that produces cakes, bakes, soups, salads and pastries, with an increasing focus on vegan-friendly options.
A Kent coffee roastery also produces a signature blend for the shop.
“It’s also really worth mentioning that at the heart of all this is a team of 15 amazing individuals - each of them bringing the abilities, ideas and effort that keep it going and keep it fun,” she adds.
Alice says the concept had always involved books: “They’re just beautiful things, aren’t they? It’s that idea that you can sit there for ages and rifle through books and find things you might not have expected.”
For more, visit www.steepstreet.co.uk
