Independent Shopping Guide

Independent shopping guide: Clothes

The best boutique and vintage clothes shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh

28 Mar 2011

We like ‘the little guy’ here at The List. Those mavericks sticking it to the man, opening up small businesses according to their own rules, and finding clever, creative ways to stay trading in the midst of the recession (and that’s the last time we’ll…

Independent shopping guide: Books

Analogue, The Fruitmarket Gallery and Monorail are among our favourite hangouts

28 Mar 2011

Some of our best and most enjoyable timewasting has been done in the independent bookshops and record stores of Edinburgh and Glasgow. So – apologies go out to the recently relocated, ever excellent Analogue Books with its unique collection of locally…

Five of the best: Places for furniture

Featuring Trash Furnishing, Moleta Munro, Bra Bohag, Funked Up Junk and Fun Makes Good

28 Mar 2011

Trash Furnishing carolinekey.co.uk Caroline Key (who gave us a hand with this article on homeware-buying) artfully restores vintage classics such as schoolroom chairs, writing desks and mirrors, adding modern motifs and the occasional splash of…

Independent shopping guide: Homewares

Some of the best physical and online retailers of sleek home furnishings

24 Mar 2011

There comes a time in everyone’s life when a beer-stained two-seater, originally peach, now covered with a previously-cheerful ethnic throw, ceases to be a bold anti-materialistic statement and becomes an embarrassment. Ditto those beige tiles with the…

Independent shopping guide: Julie Nicoll, owner of Analogue Books

Newly-relocated indie publications shop

24 Mar 2011

Before we opened, we found it hard to get hold of many of the books and magazines that we were into and felt if we were into this stuff, surely others would be too and decided to just take the risk and open. We have all kinds of customers; art students…

Independent shopping guide: Brian Proudfoot, director of GOODD

Hard-to-find designer homewares and artist exhibition space

24 Mar 2011

The kind of design we like and are passionate about wasn’t available in Glasgow. The shop was initially thought of as the ideal vehicle to engage local people with the story of design and hopefully illuminate the wider design process. We offer a…

Independent shopping guide: Fashion designer Jenny Sweetnam of Technicolour

Featured designers include Jo Richardson, Magda Boreysza and more

24 Mar 2011

After a few weeks of DIY craziness, we opened up before Christmas. We stock bold, contemporary design with a graphic edge. I make jewellery and garments, and design colourful and geometric shapes that sit playfully on the body. I think of both clothing…

Five of the best: Independent record shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Monorail, Avalanche, Elvis Shakespeare, Rubadub, LOVEMusic

24 Mar 2011

Monorail 12 Kings Court, Glasgow, 0141 552 9458, www.monorailmusic.com Pick through lovingly stocked, carefully edited alterna-indie vinyl in this musical cubby hole (many would say Scotland’s finest record shop) started by Stephen Pastel (of The…

Five of the best: Vintage clothes shops in Scotland

Vintage Guru, Starry Starry Night, Barnardos Vintage, Herman Brown

24 Mar 2011

Vintage Guru 195 Byres Road, Glasgow, 0141 339 4750, www.vintageguru.co.uk Existing as a web distributor for 15 years, Vintage Guru is now 3D, catering for the ladies and oft-neglected retro-hungry gents. Past List favourite finds include a white and…

Why independent shopping is cheaper than the high street

20 Jan 2010

Small, local independent shops are just as keen to reward regular customers for loyalty as their big-corp bretheren, and none of the offers below will leave you with the anticlimax of realising your three years’ worth of Boots points only entitle you to…

Independent Shopping guide: Introduction

16 Apr 2009

In a recession, small businesses are usually hit worst. Shopping Editor Kirstin Innes channels the spirit of the Blitz as she launches our campaign to support local, independent shops

Glasgow - The West End

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Glasgow - The West End Leafy, artistically inclined, fashionable, but not in a corporate way, dear me no, the West End is one of the most beautiful – and thoroughly self–contained – areas of Glasgow. It is fed into by the students of the nearby…

Glasgow - Merchant City

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

From the polished windows and grand granite buildings on Ingram Street to the lo-fi galleries that line Parnie Street, the Merchant City is a tale of two shoppers: as one strolls in and out of top boutiques, paper bags flapping in the wind and metal…

5 of the Best - Ethical Shopping

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Entrading, Seesaw Toys, Bolshie, Flux, Organic Pleasures.

Glasgow - Southside

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

The actual boundaries of the Southside are a much debated issue, says Allistair Burt, who runs the Southside Happenings blog. ‘Everyone agrees that it starts at the river, but where does it end? The general consensus seems to be somewhere between…

5 of the Best - Hairdressers

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Boosh, Sublime, Jar Hair, Anton Steele, Emma Hall

Edinburgh - Old Town

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Independent shops in the capital’s historic centre, presided over by Edinburgh Castle, take their aesthetic responsibilities seriously. That’s not to say that they’re all authentically restored and historically preserved properties frozen in time, nor…

5 of the Best - Institutions

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Armstrongs, Tam Shepherd’s Trick Shop, Mr Ben’s, Avalanche, Word Power

Edinburgh - New Town

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

The New Town is Edinburgh’s answer to Knightsbridge. Playground for the rich (if not famous), and stomping ground for the capital’s own Sloane Rangers. Tucked away in its leafy depths, Stockbridge’s posh bohemian vibe brings the eccentric charm of a…

5 of the Best - Supporting Local Talent

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

GSA Shop, Che Camille, Red Door Gallery, Godiva, Velvet Boutique

Edinburgh - Leith and Broughton Street

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Colourful, down-to-earth, and as proud of the Shore’s chequered history as it is of the newly developed areas housing bright young things in penthouses, Leith combines gritty charm with the fruits of urban regeneration. Off the top of Leith Walk, closer…

Glasgow & Edinburgh - Honourable Mentions

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

In Glasgow’s city centre, Sauchiehall Street, Argyle Street, the Buchanan Galleries and St Enoch Centre are mostly stuffed with high street chains, but we don’t want to overlook the number of excellent record shops in the area: Classics in the City and…

5 of the Best - Men’s Stuff

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Pageant, A1 Comics & Static Games, Goodstead, Mr Smith Underwear, The Men’s Store

5 of the best - Online accessories

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

The internet has proved a boon for young, talented Scottish designers who can't afford to rent premises. Here are some of our favourites.

5 of the best - Record shops

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Underground Sol’ushun, Rubadub Records, Hog’s Head Music, Monorail Music, Missing Records

5 of the best - Tattoo parlours

Independent Shopping Guide

16 Apr 2009

Terry’s Tattoos, Old Town Tattoos, Tribe, Forever More Tattoos, Studio XIII