The good, the true and the beautiful

Craft and gift shops selling quirky, one-off or uniquely Scottish products are found all over Scotland. Kate Patrick provides a short-cut to some of the best

What is it about quaint Victorian girls' names that makes them so well-suited for shops that sell interesting, quirky or one-off pieces: the perfect rose-quartz necklace, or a sequinned wrap, or a greetings card which is nothing short of a work of art?

In Edinburgh, Doris & Mary and Gertrude & Lily have all now appeared in the increasingly funky urban villages of Stockbridge and Broughton, providing a delicious mix of gifts, garments, treasures and heirlooms.

Both boutiques tend to steer away from traditional Scottish artisan crafts: Broughton's Gertrude and Lily, named after the owner Louise White's grandmother and her friend, has mountains of jewelled slippers, butterflies to pin around your bedroom and miniature musical boxes – but also some textural and delightfully bohemian felt and appliqué bags by local Edinburgh designer Suzanne Hamilton Ensom.

Meanwhile, over in Glasgow, a group of international artists has founded Kingdom in an attempt to bring flair, individuality and craftsmanship back into the High Street.

“Market forces,” they say, “need not be at odds with the good, the true and the beautiful.”

Bags, scarves, jewellery, art-glass, cushions, cards… everything is a work of art lovingly made by Scottish and European manufacturers who care intensely about the individuality of the finished product. Kingdom also provides income to an affiliated arts charity, as well as to other good causes.

Local designers are also profiled and sold at the National...

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• By : Kate Patrick
• In : Contemporary Scotland
• Issue : 15
• Page : 42
• Words : 1,295