A new independent café in Fallowfield is bringing together food, art and community, with its founder hoping to challenge traditional ideas about what it means to build a creative career in Manchester.
Marigold Café opened on Lloyd Street South in May and was founded by 25-year-old British Asian artist Shivani Patel. After just a few months in business, the café has begun attracting a mix of local residents and students, adding another independent venue to Fallowfield's growing high street.
The business was established in less than two months after Shivani came across a vacant unit while completing a master's degree in Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art.
“I walked into the space and just thought, I can actually do something with this,” she said.
“What does it mean to be an artist?”
At the centre of Marigold is a question Shivani keeps returning to…
“What does it mean to be an artist? Can you call yourself an artist if you’re also running a business? I think you can,” she said. “There are so many creative decisions behind everything we do, what we serve, how it looks, how a space feels. It’s all creative output. Even food, it’s one of the most direct forms of expression there is.”
That thinking runs through the café in quiet but intentional ways from colour and plating to the rhythm of service and the way the space has been arranged. Nothing is treated as incidental.
From family shop floor to fine art studio
Raised in Blackburn, Shivani grew up working in a family-run off-licence, where business and community were part of everyday life long before art entered the picture.
That creative pull eventually led her to Manchester Metropolitan University, where she studied photography, followed by two years as a teaching assistant supporting young creative students. She later completed a master’s in fine art at the Glasgow School of Art, working across photography, textiles, dyeing and experimental making, with a consistent focus on identity, diaspora and belonging as a British Asian.
“Growing up, I was always aware of being between spaces: home, school, culture,” she said. “Art became the way I could express that”
Two weeks before finishing her master’s, she came across the Fallowfield site that would become Marigold.
A café as an extension of art
Rather than stepping away from her creative background, Shivani sees the café as a continuation of it.
“I still think like an artist,” she said. “Everything here is considered from how the food is presented to the atmosphere we’re building. It’s all part of the same process.”
The menu reflects that approach, blending British comfort food with South Asian influences alongside artisan sandwiches, baked goods and speciality coffee. The offering continues to evolve in response to customer feedback, with early favourites already emerging among students and local residents.
Building a neighbourhood space
Shivani says one of her priorities has been creating a space that reflects the local community rather than following a commercial café concept.
"I didn't want it to feel corporate or distant," she said. "I wanted it to feel like somewhere people actually belong."
The café serves a menu that combines familiar British café food with South Asian influences. The name Marigold was chosen for its cultural significance within South Asian communities.
"It represents warmth, growth and something that keeps blooming," she said.
Shivani says customer feedback has helped shape the offering, with students and local residents becoming regular visitors during its first few months.
"One of my favourite things is seeing the same faces come back each day," she said. "You'll see people sitting outside with a coffee, catching up with each other before work or after dropping the kids off. Watching those little daily routines become part of the café is really special."
Future plans
Like many first-time business owners, Shivani says opening the café has involved learning quickly while balancing staffing, operations and day-to-day service.
"You learn very fast that you can't wait for everything to be perfect," she said. "You start, you adjust and you keep going."
Shivani hopes to introduce creative workshops and small community events, bringing aspects of her fine art practice back into the space while continuing to establish the café as part of the Fallowfield neighbourhood.
"I'd like it to become a space where creativity comes back in," she said. "Not just something you see, but something you participate in."
For now, her focus remains on embedding Marigold within the local community.
"It's still early," she said. "But I want it to grow naturally."
Marigold Cafe
Marigold Café is located at 151 Lloyd St S, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 7LA
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday: 8am – 2pm
Keep up with Marigold Café
You can find Marigold Café on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook: @marigoldmcr
