Residents of a trendy Kent town “don’t need Amazon” because their high street has so much to offer, according to a departing business owner.

Steve Jones has run Whitstable Produce Store in Harbour Street with his wife Amanda for the past 15 years - but the couple are now looking forward to their retirement.

Despite recently closing his cafe, Mr Jones insists the “vibrant” town has a bright future, with its range of small, independent shops keeping the “big boys” out.

Steve told KentOnline: “You get two types of people who come down to Whitstable.

“One will say it's fantastic exploring the local stores, and the other wants to know where McDonald's is. Well, we don’t have one!

“There’s always turnover, but there’s still new independents taking their place, and that’s great to see - we love the quirkiness that’s developed and everything about it.

“It's still a fantastic town. There are so few towns where you don’t need Amazon - you can still get everything you need locally.

“There’s still a lot of tiny shops but I think the smaller size is why the big boys haven’t moved in. There’s nowhere big enough.”

Whitstable, an hour and 15 minutes away from St Pancras International and home to 650 Airbnbs, is a hotspot for so-called DFLs - people coming ‘Down from London’.

And it was on a visit from the capital in 2004 that Steve and Amanda fell in love with the town.

They originally opened a smaller store on Harbour Street in 2009 before taking over their current spot four years later.

The pair’s original idea to open a juice and smoothie bar evolved to include serving food and coffee.

They later turned a former produce display into a seating area and started offering takeaways during the Covid pandemic.

Steve said: “It’s nice to be trendy, and it’s one of the reasons we chose Whitstable.

“It’s still a vibrant town. I know there’s turnover, but it’s better than rows of empty shops.

“You talk to people who were here in the 70s and 80s. It was a ghost town.

“I’d say it's even evolved in the 15 years we’ve been here.”

Steve says that during the “madness of summertime” the people filling the high street are split in thirds between locals, visitors and overseas tourists.

Outside of these busy months, Whitstable is “a real community”.

“Some people probably have been in the store more times than I have,” said Steve.

Down the road from Whitstable is Herne Bay, which one councillor recently described as neglected, with parts appearing stuck in the 1980s.

Steve said: “There isn’t a pier, any amusements or a sandy beach, which I think makes a proper seaside town like Herne Bay, which I love, but it is completely different.

“I think great businesses create other great businesses, and all the local independents have worked their socks off to keep Whitstable as a destination - a vibrant town with its own identity.”

After more than 40 years in the catering business, Steve and Amanda are looking forward to exploring more of Kent.

The pair remain hopeful that Whitstable will continue to be a destination for years to come.

Le Petit Cafe is already taking over the site their store is vacating - but an opening date is yet to be announced.

Any tourists who fancy a McDonald’s while visiting Harbour Street face a 47-minute walk to the branch on the Old Thanet Way in Chestfield.