Independent shops provide a reason for social interaction and give people the chance to take pride in the area in which they live, by supporting businesses that then, in turn, provide jobs for local people.
That’s the message from Eleanor Barron, owner of Elba Gallery, a multi-award-winning art and gift shop in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, about seven miles north of Glasgow. The gallery specialises in handmade Scottish gifts, art, jewellery, ceramics and glassware made in Scotland by local artists and selected UK makers. Everything is either handmade by the artists themselves or it is their original painting or design that has been hand printed onto something meaning there has been a little bit more input than the average gift shop.
“People missed social interaction during the pandemic when they couldn't go and talk to somebody in a shop. Sometimes they just come in and buy a card and when they go, they say thank you, that was a really nice chat,” says Eleanor, who started the business ten years ago.
“So, it’s important to still have bricks and mortar shops plus, of course we’re selling items that they can't get elsewhere. There's nothing like going in and seeing and feeling the quality of something and we are also telling the story of each artist as we are selling it, so if somebody asks who made this, where is it made, how is it made, we can tell them.”
But, like many indie shop owners, business is up and down at the moment.
“The economy's not great,” continues Eleanor. “We rely on tourism especially as Milngavie is at the start of the West Highland Way. We have visitors from all over the world that come to do this walk, so we also have touristy items that they can buy, little souvenirs, that we have had specially commissioned by the artists.”
In terms of promotion, Elba Gallery uses a range of tactics.
“We do advertise in printed format in the local community magazine and that helps with locals. Also, though, if you are a visitor staying in an Airbnb you can pick up the magazine, see something that they could maybe get a souvenir, something particularly Scottish,” explains Eleanor.
We also do a lot of social media. I don't do the paid social media. I focus on just doing my own thing on Instagram, Facebook, and most recently on TikTok. I am also one of the directors of the local BID, and we use the Milngavie BID website to showcase these amazing 150 or so businesses in the town centre.”
The onset of the pandemic also saw Eleanor selling online for the first time.
“After many years of not having an e-commerce website, mainly because we sell handmade things, and once I've sold it, it’s gone, when the pandemic hit in 2020, I was given the challenge to get an e-commerce site up and running in six weeks by the BID. They helped me through that process, and they gave me three months funding for it, and somebody to guide me and help me through it. That made a huge difference to the business in 2020, and it was as good as, if not better than, trading in person. And I thought, wow, I've been missing out all these years.
But then, since we reopened the business, no one has really been buying anything online because my type of shop is the sort of shop you want to come in and look at gifts and touch and feel and see for yourself.”
The town, though, retains a vibrant, independent scene.
“Milngavie in Bloom Volunteers plant lovely flowers and baskets in the town centre which the shops & businesses pay towards. We have a real community spirit. We put on big events like classic car shows, Healthy Habits, a light switch on at Christmas and we all come together and help pay for that. It does feel like a destination shopping experience.”
So, looking back over the ten years since she opened Elba Gallery, is Eleanor still as excited by it now as she was then?
“That's a good question,” she says. “It’s harder work now. In the past people would come in and say, “I'd love to get a gift for my friend” and then when you recommend something and they like it, they would have also bought one for themselves. Nobody says that anymore. They all say, I'll just take the gift.” but at least people are still shopping local and that is the main thing.”
Web: elbagallery.com
Instagram: @elbagallery
Facebook: @elbagallery
TikTok: @elbagallery
X (Twitter): @elbagallery
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