As I recall, the business on the town side of the Magpie does have his wares laid out on the area in front of his shop - crockery and glassware, mostly.
As to obstruction, a waiting area complete with signs on the fishmarket wall, has been set out on the opposite pavement, which is just about wide enough for a queue of people and pedestrian traffic. It is well organised, the girls from the restaurant work it remarkably well with commendable politeness and good humour; assuming folk week to be one of the busier times for the town, we had to wait about twenty minutes for a table at five o'clock on a Friday evening, and on Tuesday were served within five minutes at the takeaway. If someone didn't have an axe to grind it would scarcely rate a second look. It's rather a pity that there isn't an official mechanism for telling such persons to piss up their kilts.
The fish pie's pretty damn good as well.