Venture off the beaten track to discover a handful of Scotland’s finest independent businesses
Each small Scottish business on this list is owned by local people who are powered by a love for beautiful things.
The Mercat
Where: The Cross, Culross, Fife
What: A cafe and store with homeware goods and provisions
The first small Scottish business on our list is The Mercat. This cafe, provisions and homeware store sits quietly on the cobblestone streets of Culross at Mercat Cross. Originally a butcher’s shop, over the years it has had stints as a cafe, gallery and gift shop. “It’s funny – we used to come in here and Paul, my husband, would ask, ‘So, what would you do with this place?’” says founder Laura May Wilson. The idea for the business was prompted by guests of her other business, The Dundonald, regularly asking where she had bought the various knick-knacks dotted around the house. “I thought, I could source things for them, then have a cafe serving toasties, soup, ham-and-cornichon baguettes, great scones. Nothing fancy – just a real focus on good quality.”
Visit The Mercat website | Follow The Mercat on Instagram
Rabbet
Where: 571 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow
What: Picture framer and art supply store
Dawdle along Pollockshaws road in Glasgow’s Southside and you’ll find everything you need: haberdashers, thrift stores, homeware shops and bakeries with fat croissants stacked in the window. And this rewarding stretch of Strathbungo is even better now that Rabbet has opened its doors at number 571. Behind the bold blue exterior are prints and greetings cards for sale, alongside artists’ paints and brushes – all you could need to conjure your own masterpiece. And once you’ve created it? Rabbet can frame it for you – picture-framing is a key part of the business. Rest assured you don’t have to be the most accomplished artist in the world; there’s no snobbery here.
In the few months since this small Scottish business opened, owners Katie Lundie and Isobel Neviazsky have organised an introductory oil-painting workshop and hosted framing consultations, all while filling the place with local talent. A particularly sweet recent display of child-friendly art supplies (complete with pictures by the owners’ wee one) shows that
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Haus and Co
Where: 51 High St, Innerleithen EH44 6HD
What: A lifestyle store and coffee shop featuring a curated collection of Scandi homewares and textiles
Next in our list of beautiful small Scottish businesses to visit in 2025 is Haus & Co – and we simply can’t get enough of Scandinavian homewares. There’s such an appetite for it, in fact, that businesses like this one are thriving even in small towns and out-of-the-way places.
Haus and Co, a gorgeous shop and cafe in Innerleithen, only opened in 2022 and has already had to move to bigger premises. For owner Gary Smith, it’s proof he made the right choice when he left a 30-year career in the theatre to set up here in the Borders. He used to do interiors projects for friends on the side, and now he’s happy to offer styling advice as well as coffee. “Everything I sell, I would have in my own house,” he says. “In fact, my regulars call the shop Gary’s house.” Most of what’s stocked in this small Scottish business is Scandinavian, but there’s a very intentional spotlight on independent Scottish makers too, among them Studio Brae ceramics and Gold Moss candles. “When people buy, it’s like they take a little piece of Haus home with them,” says Gary.
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Jorum Studio
Where: 12 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 5AL
What: Perfumer supplying consciously crafted fragrances in the heart of Edinburgh
“With a small multi-disciplinary team, we offer an ever-evolving perspective on modern fragrance, blending classical techniques with innovative and unique compositions to allow the wearer’s creativity and sense of expression to shine,” says Scottish perfumer and founder of Jorum Studio Euan McCall. This characterful small Scottish business creates modern, poetic fragrances that capture the beauty of nature with an unconventional spirit. The brand launched in 2010 and have grown in popularity since, being touted as the “niche fragrance brand to watch” by global creators like Niche.Garden, notjeangrey and profumeria_dr.adbaya on TikTok.
The Jorum Store opened in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge area in 2019 showcasing elegant fragrances that are as unique as they are accessible. Designing and manufacturing all products in-house, this small Scottish business celebrates the craft of perfumery using only the purest quality materials in truly unique and creative ways.
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Harbour Lane
Where: Harbour Lane, South Queensferry, EH30 9PT & 45 High Street Fortrose, Black Isle, IV10 8SU
What: Art studio, homeware and gift store
This small Scottish business is hidden down a little lane just off the High Street in South Queensferry, surrounded by stunning views of the Firth of Forth. This art studio and homeware store is owned and run by Tori Gray, an illustrator-turned-shop-owner who continues to design the Harbour Lane homeware range stocked in the South Queensferry and new Fortrose (on the Black Isle) stores. “As soon as I walked into the studio, I knew it would be perfect. It had old wooden beams, antique bread ovens set into the walls and not a right-angle in sight. It was quirky in all the right ways – and screaming out to be shown some love.”
The Harbour Lane Studio range includes everything from lamps to window displays. “We’ve become known for our range of illustrated homeware which is designed and made by our own fair hands,” Tori says. The store also stocks local makers from across the country. This little hidden gem is flooded with character and reflects the true spirit of Scotland.
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Skout
Where: 45 Deanhaugh Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
What: Lifestyle store
Butter yellow may be the colour of the season, but for Madeline Millar of Edinburgh’s Skout, it’s more than just a passing trend. “It’s the colour my mum always dressed me in as a baby – so it has a special resonance. It feels really homely,” she says.
A fitting hue, then, for the façade of her small Scottish business in Stockbridge selling everything from ceramic dalmatians to pistachio green storage units. Each item has been lovingly selected by Madeline, her mum Susan and aunt Sarah, the trio behind Skout, with the same love and attention they apply to their own homes. There’s a generous haberdashery section in this small Scottish business, and crafting events are in the pipeline, but for now it’s about encouraging an appreciation of carefully curated secondhand goods and adopting a mindful approach to shopping. One thing is for sure: if you bought it at Skout, no one else will have it – and that’s priceless.
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This Must Be the Place
Where: 707 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow G41 2AA
What: Homeware store stocked with ceramics and stationery sourced from across the globe
The Southside of Glasgow has my heart. Magical pastel doorways lead to gelato, vintage garms and now, at the Strathbungo end of Pollokshaws Road, a collection of beautiful things at the newly opened This Must Be The Place. Owner Clare Nicolson has excellent taste – no surprise, as she is a product stylist and an artist in her own right. She is also a photographer, so the shop’s socials and website are already brimming with tantalising goodies in a rainbow of colours. There are carefully selected bits and pieces by local makers and those from further afield, all with a distinct aura of cool. In this small Scottish business, you will find trippy ceramics, colourful prints, napkins embroidered with cheese wedges, brilliantly silly greeting cards, and chocolate bars that look almost too good to eat. Anyone who stumbles into the shop’s peachy embrace will be exceedingly lucky to come out empty-handed. It’s a must-visit as we approach the season of gifting, and a reminder to support Scotland’s fantastic independent stores. Keep ’em coming.
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Spoiled Life
Where: 15 Greyfriars Garden, St Andrews KY16 9HG
What: Coffee house, clothing retailer and evening venue
“We’re almost like a micro department store,” says Cameron Malcolm of Spoiled Life, the three-floor lifestyle shop and small Scottish business that offers the coolest retail experience in St Andrews. With its smart bottle-green frontage, coffee bar (using beans from The Roasting Project in Burntisland) and thoughtful mix of clothing, homeware and beauty brands, it’s the kind of place you wander into for a nosy then emerge a couple of hours later laden with bags. You’ll spot big-hitters such as Ferm Living alongside homegrown talent including the jeweller Olivia Taylor. “She makes simple, beautiful pieces inspired by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando,” says Cameron. Clothing-wise, look out for wardrobe staples from sustainable indie labels such as Uskees, which offers a free repair service on its clothes.
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Learn more about the first small Scottish business on this list, The Mercat, in our interview with founder and interior designer Louise May Wilson.
This Life: The Mercat Café’s Laura May Wilson weaves style and soul into Culross
