Advertise on podcast: Independent Thinking - Exploring a new era for the high street

In the last episode of this series, this week we’re speaking to Food by Nourish, a gourmet grocer and deli, based in South Lanarkshire. Created by friends Greg and Richard, the business started life in a humble van (the Tattie Wagon)  delivering veg throughout lockdown, but my, have they come a long way since then.  We talk about food as a force for good, running with an idea, an unfortunate lack of Piccalilli lovers locally and why, if an idea's no good, well "it goes in the soup"... We recorded this one a while back, but it’s only now mainly for technical reasons that it’s been able to go out - listening to it back I remembered how fun this one was to record, how funny they were,  and how invested they both are in making sure their produce is as high quality as it can be - so reckon you’ll enjoy this one!    Check them out here: https://foodbynourish.co.uk/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

This week, we are joined by Taisir Gibreel, Head of Retail at Restoration Yard, the winner of  Best Store Design award at Draper's Independent's Awards 2021. Taisir speaks about how she's brought her years of experience as a designer to store merchandising, the thrill of buying and connecting with producers and why she just loves the magic and theatre of retail. You are going to get so excited for Christmas after hearing this - enjoy! https://www.restorationyard.com/ https://www.taisirgibreel.co.uk/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

Now, it’s fair to say this year has thrown its fair amount of challenges at retailers. Covid restrictions, Brexit.. just to name two hugely important factors this year of course. But to this we can add; wider global economic uncertainty, global heating and climate change becoming more acute... all making us consider our decisions as consumers and in fact what it means to ‘consume’.             We are of course in the midst of a huge amount of change.  So at this point in the year, I wanted to check in again with Dr Sarah Montano of University of Birmingham to help us unpack the complexities and help us understand how the past year has impacted our habits and what the future could look like as we continue to adapt to living through a pandemic. Sarah brings some much needed groundedness to these discussions, talks about small changes we can all make, what innovation we can look forward to in the future and why we have much to be hopeful about.  It’s always a pleasure to speak to Sarah, we could have chatted all morning when we recorded this! Hope you enjoy! The 'What is the Metaverse?' article we mention:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/10/style/metaverse-virtual-worlds.html Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

This episode was brought to you by Rebecca, Elaine and Natalie who have kindly pledged their support for the show through Patreon! Hello to you all - you have my eternal gratitude and are helping keep this show on the road! This week we have the first of our Revisited episodes, where a guest from a previous series joins us once again to update us on their business journey. This week we're joined by Edinburgh-based childrenswear brand Bon Tot - who has seen an enormous amount of change in the past year - a shop move, a new brand and the establishment of a new business partnership between Kris, who started the company and Cara, her new business partner.  We talk about evolving a brand, being tenacious, working through insecurities, reminding yourself of Beyonce, the joy of finding someone in business who just completely understands you and so. Much. More. Enjoy! https://www.bon-tot.com/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

This week, we are speaking to Rare Birds Books founder, Rachel. Rare Birds Book Club started life as a subscription service, created by Rachel to fill a gap in the market - offering a hand-picked selection of women’s literature to shake up your regular reading habits and broaden your horizons. In the past 4 years the business has gone from strength to strength - and this year has fulfilled Rachel’s dream of opening an HQ, by making a move to the local high street and into bricks and mortar retail, setting up shop in August this year, in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge. We talk to Rachel about growing a business and community from the ground up whilst working full time, being receptive to opportunity and making the move into retail. If you’ve ever wondered about starting a business, to follow your passion or turn an interest into an income perhaps  - you’re going to find the next 50 mins very inspiring... https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

Our first guest of the series is a special to coincide with COP 26, the UN Climate Change Conference which, if you’re listening to this on the day of release, started yesterday in Glasgow. So, who better to talk to than a business based in the city, which has sustainability at its heart. Today we’re speaking to Bevan from Bawn - an ethical textile atelier in Glasgow’s Southside, a place where you can find sustainably made, ethically sourced fabrics and textiles.  Bevan is a huge believer in the local high street, and that some things are made to experience in person - particularly when it comes to something as tactile as textiles - a belief that  began in her earlier days working in a haberdashery in her home city of Dublin.  We talk to founder Bevan about how she brought her training from the world of museums into the world of retail, how she supports customers to navigate the ever more complicated world of ‘shopping ethically’ and how she has led a group of like-minded individuals to create her own, unique response to COP 26 - creating something which shows how much more can be achieved when we pull together, as she tells us about the project, Cop Twenty Stitch. Enjoy!  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

Just like that, we're at the end of series 3! We'll off on our summer break, but worry not - we'll be back before you know it with more stories from independents across Scotland in the Autumn!  Before we go though, we are delighted to bring you our chat with East Coast Cured - as we speak to founders Susie and Steven.  Founded in an attic in 2017, East Coast Cured was borne out of a shared love of food, a passion for local produce and a longing to be able to access the kind of charcuterie in Scotland that they had previously only been able to get hold of when holidaying overseas.  Spring forward 4 years later, we catch up with Susie and Steven to chat resilience in business, why local produce matters, the power of community and why the past 18 months has given them a renewed sense of optimism about our shared future. Enjoy!  https://www.eastcoastcured.com/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

There has been much talk about the new St James Quarter that opened in Edinburgh last month, and a huge amount of discussion and excitement about their food market - Bonnie & Wild. We’ll be discussing the wider development in more depth next series, but we wanted to first catch up with one of the traders in the new market, gelato makers Joelato - because what better way to celebrate summer on the show?! Founded in Perthshire by Joe Sykes with his partner Lucy, this will be Joelato’s first foray into retail. They had dreams of starting their own food business, and through lockdown turned that vision into a reality, creating a product which people couldn’t help but shout about - including former guest on the show, Flora Shedden.  We talk about his passion for Scotland’s bountiful produce, why he finds Italy so inspiring, coping when things go wrong and preparing for such an anticipated opening.  Enjoy!  https://www.joelato.co.uk/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

This week, as we continue to look at partnerships in small business - we’re chatting to Jo and Georgina from Edinburgh-based interior designer company - Jeffrey’s Interiors, who have recently completed a management buyout from the original owners, Jeff and Alison. It’s not something we’ve discussed a great deal on the show so far - what happens when owners decide to retire, or move on to other projects; how do owners plan for their future of their business?  Both Georgina and Jo, Managing Director and Design Director respectively, have grown up with the business in many ways , both starting out as Design Assistants with the company, and they share their journeys with us - not only about with their love of interior design and how they found themselves in this line of work, but their journey in the business itself.  They talk about the beauty of a business partnership when it works well, and what they bring to the table - and why knowing what animal you are, can help communication immensely.... We also talk immersive retail experiences, what scent can add to a room (and to a showroom), and how lockdown has shaped our relationships with our homes. Enjoy!    https://www.jeffreys-interiors.co.uk/ Here's the book that Georgina mentions in the episode: https://www.nigelrisner.com/product-page/it-s-a-zoo-around-here  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

The department store has, in many ways, had one of the most tumultuous journeys of all, of those on the High Street. Whilst some key players in the sector are seeking to innovate and fast -  in terms of new ranges, refurbishments of key sites, and investment in new services as they seek to make their stores real destinations for customers - the fact remains, we have seen huge numbers of store closures this year. For many, the department store’s fall from grace has come to symbolise all that is ‘wrong’ with traditional, bricks and mortar retail. Disconnected with their customer base, lack of investment in the look and feel of shopping in store, uninspiring product, lack of innovation in online offer - whilst these were already problems for companies like Debenhams, the ongoing pandemic certainly accelerated the effects.  But companies like Debenhams, John Lewis and Frasers have historically occupied truly *enormous* spaces on our High Streets for decades; they are cornerstones of shopping centres. And some of the buildings they occupy are beautiful, important culturally to their towns, and are amongst the most iconic buildings in this country.  So what’s going to happen to them now? How do we preserve these buildings for future generations? And how do we stop them falling into disrepair and neglect, like many of the companies that once occupied them?  We’ll be exploring this and lots more with Catherine and Coco from Twentieth Century Society today.  We discuss potential new uses for these beautiful buildings, why it’s important we protect them, and how you can get involved in their efforts to save these buildings that are at the heart of our town centres. Enjoy! If you liked this episode - I highly recommend episode 1 and 6 of series 2, with Midsteeple Quarter and Dr Sarah Montano respectively, as we discuss potential uses for empty spaces on our high streets. Find out more here:  https://c20society.org.uk/campaigns/department-stores  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

This week, as we explore other stories from our evolving high street, we're chatting all things charity shops.  We all know the pressures that non-essential retail has been under this past year, but what about the impact on a sector who rely on retail income to support those are living with long term health conditions? Who are supporting and working with the NHS during one of the most testing times in its history?  How has charity retail been impacted by this year, and by changes to our high streets?  To explore this, I’m delighted to be joined by Lawrence Cowan and Carole Edmonds from Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.  They are Scotland’s health charity supporting people and their families across the country who have chest, heart and stroke conditions to make sure everyone lives as full a life as possible. And their cause is even more pertinent this past year.  They also have some of the quirkiest and most fun charity shops on the high street.  We chat to Lawrence and Carole, their Director of Fundraising and Head of Retail field operations respectively to chat about the wonder of finding a bargain and giving your old clothing a new lease of life, how important charity shops are to our communities and how they incorporate a neighbourhood's stories into each boutique. Enjoy!  https://www.chss.org.uk/supportus/stores/ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)

Welcome back! As we explore more partnerships in business, today I’m joined by another husband and wife team - Jill and Steve from Meander.  Meander is a sustainable clothing brand, passionate about making outdoor clothing more accessible, appealing and wearable - clothing that looks just at home in the city as it does on the hillside. They both have a love for adventure, and so, after embarking on a mammoth charity cycle ride from London to Paris, they started a company after realising that there was a gap in the market for a cycling jacket that not only practical but something you actually wanted to wear.  From there, they’ve gone on to develop a whole product range, had a pop up at Space at Seventeen (and check out our episode with Jess from there  - Series 1, episode 10  to find out more)  and recently opened a permanent space on Edinburgh’s George Street.  We talk about bringing a product to market, what challenges can come with wanting to work more ethically,  creating a vibrant community for your customers, and why there’s never been a better time to explore the great outdoors. It was so lovely to chat to them both - You can tell how much they both love what they do and how passionate they are about wanting everyone to experience the beauty of Scotland’s countryside! Enjoy!  Meander: https://meanderapparel.com/  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independentthinking)