Features
Our friends and fellow CO+Kers Katie & Phil have opened a craft shop in Edinburgh called Thread & Heather. This week we're getting crafty in their shop and making miniature melted crayon art.
How did you get started?
The shop is run by myself (Phil) and my wife Katie and it was basically a dream of Katie's for as long as she can remember to have a shop that sells nice things. The dream was formulated into an actual plan for a shop from our experiences at Craft Fairs down the years. What we had noticed was that they were a bit hit and miss at times, and sometimes people would spend a lot of money to have a stall only to find they sell little or nothing because of demographics or poor weather. So we thought it would be a great idea to offer for the same price, a place in a shop that would give them a month's worth of selling opportunity without the effort of having to man a stall.
The only stumbling block was finances, and that block was lifted when i got the opportunity to take redundancy from my previous job. So from there we quickly found a premises, contacted a load of crafters and found ourselves inundated with interest in stocking in our shop.
Where are you located?
We are located at 131 Gilmore Place in Edinburgh. Its near the Tollcross/Bruntstfield area which has an interesting mix of students and tourists, and is an area full of interesting shops and also just round the corner from the End (or Beginning depending which way you look at it) of the Union Canal.
Which products do you specialise in?
We have a haberdashery/craft supply area behind our ever changing crafter showcase area. We have a fabulous selection of buttons at reasonable prices, which our customers tell us is very rare these days. We also like to make sure we are well stocked with starter kits for those who are wanting to get started in crafting or sewing or knitting or whatever - we want to inspire creativity.
Do you have a particular favorite product that you sell?
There are so many lovely things in the shop and it'd be unfair to choose one thing from our crafter showcase and impossible as we love it all. From our craft supply/haberdashery area i would say i particularly like some of the Washi Tape we have got in, including Angoo tape direct from Japan which is simple but effective unpatterned tape that comes in some fun different shades and colours. I also love our wool, particularly because of the way it's displayed in fab wall hung baskets, and a splash of colour to the wall and really draws the eye.
What's on the stereo?
We sell a few records in the shop as well as all our crafty goodies. So we tend to play a lot of what we sell, which is music from labels such as FIKA, Soft Power Records, Lost Map Records and Elefant. We love Cosines, Theoretical Girl, Tuff Love and Kid Canaveral as well as Scottish Indie such as Belle and Sebastian, Broken Records, Randolph's Leap and there's always time for some Manics.
Where else should we visit in your area?
The Cameo cinema just round the corner on Home Street, its a cracking independent cinema that always has some interesting older films on as well as the best new independent films showing. The Brauhaus on Lauriston Place is a dream come true for someone like me who loves German beer. Lastly, a cracking bakery is just across the street from us called Dough Re Mi, their breads are out of this world.
Do you host any workshops, classes or special events?
At present we don't have anything but we are certainly looking into the possibility of holding classes in the future.
Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
if you are a crafter or artist in or near Edinburgh and fancy showcasing in our shop, visit our website and drop us a line, we are always looking for new crafts. If you're from further afield, visit our web shop for some lovely unique crafts.
Do you have a favorite craft, art or supply shop in your town that we should feature? Send us a message!
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