Edinburgh Independent Gift Guide

Hello friends,

Hope you’re all keeping well! It’s been on my mind for some time to put together an independent gift guide to Edinburgh and since we’re on the run-up to Christmas, I figured what better time to finally get around to it. I don’t know about you but I come across so many lovely brands on a nearly daily basis yet when an occasion arises to buy a gift, I often draw a blank. So, I have filled this guide with a variety of my personal recommendations from certain Edinburgh streets to peruse, gift shops, and a gift guide.  

On a final note, as hard as I try, this guide will never fully encompass all of Edinburgh's wonderful small businesses so if I’ve missed out your favourite business or haven’t mentioned your favourite maker, please do include them in the comments section!  

Warm wishes,  
Shawna

Edinburgh’s Indie Streets  

Edinburgh is renowned for its vibrant independent business scene and several streets have become havens for independent stores, here are a few to visit:

Stockbridge: St Stephen Street is a perfect example of a haven for independent shopping. The street is home to a range of brilliant stores such as the ever-so-charming, Golden Hare Books (68 St Stephen Street); the serene lifestyle store and treatment space, The Method (9 St Stephen Street); the stylish vegan clothing store, Treen (2-4 St Stephen Place); the beautifully-curated fine jewellery store, ætla (46 St Stephen Street); the brilliant pop-up space, Space at Seventeen (17 St Stephen Street); and more. Stockbridge high street (Raeburn Place) is also a must-visit!

New Town: Broughton Street is another indie street with a wonderful community spirit. Keep an eye out for Rosevear Tea (72 Broughton Street), a tea-lovers paradise; Narcissus Flowers (87 Broughton Street), a beautiful flower shop; Curiouser & Curiouser (93 Broughton Street), an independent art, framing and gift shop; Kathy's Knits (64a Broughton Street), a haven for knitters; Lifestrory (53 London Street) a stylish Scandi-inspired store; and more!  

Bruntsfield & Morningside: Bruntsfield’s high street feels like it’s been carefully curated to include some of Edinburgh’s best independent stores including the lovely gift shop, Halibut & Herring (108 Bruntsfield Place); Biscuit Clothing (132 Bruntsfield Place), a beautiful clothing store; Snapdragon (146 Bruntsfield Place), a delightful botanical boutique; The Edinburgh Bookshop (219 Bruntsfield Place) plus another branch of Rosevear Tea and Curiouser! Morningside high street has a similar calibre of shops including chocolatiers Edward & Irwyn (416 Morningside Road); a delightful homeware shop, Hestie (245 Morningside Road) and more! 

Marchmont: Marchmont high street is home to an interesting array of small businesses. A few small businesses to keep in mind when visiting the area are Stor Lifestyle (6 Roseneath Street, previously Travelling Basket), a cornucopia of lovingly chosen ethical homewares, seasonal flowers, and lifestyle products; Forge & Foliage (8 Warrender Park Road), a beautiful plant and homeware shop; Elliott's (21 Sciennes Road), home to a curated selection of books, kitchenware and store cupboard ingredients.

Leith Walk: One of Edinburgh’s longest high streets, Leith Walk is home to a range of independent shops including Handsel (336 Leith Walk), a home interior and lifestyle gift shop; Typewronger Books (4a Haddington Place), a quirky bookshop; Logan Malloch Ltd (13 Leith Walk), a beautiful gift shop and bookshop; PekoeTea (11 Leith Walk), a brilliant tea shop; Argonaut Books (15-17 Leith Walk), a community bookshop; and more!  

Local Maker Stores:

There are a few shops in Edinburgh which solely stock independent makers and provide a wide range of gift inspiration:

An Independent Zebra (88-92 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge): An Independent Zebra was started by makers for makers and now stock over 160 small independent businesses!

The Red Door Gallery (42 Victoria Street, Old Town): The Red Door Gallery is a hub of creativity for the visual arts and proudly supports the work of over 150 artists and creative businesses.

Leith Collective (Ocean Terminal, Leith): The Leith Collective is home to a collection of unique and handmade products made using sustainably using recycled materials. With over 130 artists and makers from all over Scotland, there’s plenty of choice!

Support the Makers (101 Easter Road): Support the Makers do a wonderful job of organising markets & pop-up shops for makers to showcase their products and they now have their very own shop! 

A Few Gift Ideas (under £30):

For those of you who are looking for specific gift ideas, here's a list of 10 ideas which will hopefully provide some inspiration. Two disclaimers before we begin, as this is a list of personal recommendations, I must admit it’s by no means impartial as I’ve included a few talented friends’ work plus I’ve chosen items that I would enjoy gifting or receiving! In no particular order, let's begin!

1. Candles: There are a whole host of wonderful candlemakers based in Edinburgh and a few of my personal favourites are Kind Candles (£10), Can to Candle (from £9.50), Druid Candles (£20), and Edinburgh Honey Co (from £5). If you’re looking for a candle holder, take a look at Studio Emma’s wonderful concrete candle holders.

2. Colouring Edinburgh Book by Helen C Stark (£8.49): Helen has been a friend of mine for quite some time and I’m a huge fan of her Edinburgh colouring book.

3. Sweet Treats: Who doesn’t love finding a sweet treat at the bottom of their stocking? Once again there are plenty of options, but some suggestions are Edward & Irwyn (maybe their drinking chocolate? - £8), The Marshmallow Lady, Coco Chocolatier, and The Pastry Section.

4. Rachelle W Design’s Tea Towel (£13.50): Rachelle is one of my closest friends and she also runs a brilliant small business. Her foodie and Edinburgh-themed tea towels are just one of the many beautiful items she sells.  

5. Loose Leaf Tea or Coffee: I’m sure most of us would agree that there’s no better way to start the day than with a cup of tea or coffee. So, why not treat a friend to a luxurious packet of loose-leaf tea from Rosevear Tea, Pekoe Tea or Eteaket Tea or a bag of locally roasted coffee from Mr Eion or Obadiah Coffee.

6. Adriana De Matos’ Scottish Wildlife Enamel Mug (£16): Adriana is another talented Edinburgh-based artist, I'm particularly fond of her wildlife series!

7. The Colour Dasher’s Crochet Kit for Beginners (£20): Leigh has a beautiful Etsy account filled with crochet gifts including her crochet kit for beginners!

8. Hot Sauce from the Bonnie Sauce Co (£4.95): The Bonnie Sauce Co's sauces are lovingly hand-made, packed with flavour, character and versatility. You can also find them at Weigh To Go (27 Crighton Place)!

9. An Illustration from Clarabunda (£15): Clare is a talented illustrator who has created a range of Edinburgh prints from Victoria Street to Murrayfield. 

10. Pretty Pickled T-shirt (£25): The lovely Ailidh from @plateexpectations runs a brilliant clothing company selling T-shirts, sweaters and accessories embroidered with fun food-related puns!

11. Hidden Scotland Magazine and/or Calendar (£15/£20): Hidden Scotland produces a beautiful biannual magazine showcasing the best that Scotland has to offer. They also offer a gift-wrapping feature so you can send one of their magazines straight to a friend.

12. Pockets of Pretty: An Instagrammer's Edinburgh (£20): Sneaking in my book as the last entry. Pockets of Pretty is a labour of love and was a learning curve for me. The book is filled with various neighbourhood guides, coffee shop recommendations, day trip ideas and more!

13. The Tartan Blanket Co. (from £28): The TBCo is a wonderful, family-run business based in Edinburgh. Their aim is to create beautiful, natural products which bring warmth to people's hearts and homes and with a beautiful range of gloves, scarves, blankets, and homewares - they have definitely succeeded!