I shopping and style
SPORTS RETAIL Route One
There has never really been any shortage of people Willing to sell skateboarding fashions in Scotland. Those With good memories may remember the first, Quarterback, a Gridiron, BMX and skateboarding store in Glasgow, which appeared in the mid-80s Their policy was always sport over fashion but even as skating apparel becomes a bigger part of mainstream fashion, the arrival in Edinburgh of Route One appears to be revrtalising that old DOIICy.
Route One is a shop where the sport, not the label is king and as far as sports go, there appears to be no shortage of them, including skateboarding, .n-line skating, scooters and, havrng something of a continued reVivaI, BMX. In addition to these, the shop sell kites, kite boarding and Juggling gear plus the togs to go With them all.
The company started With a store in Bath and this, their northern outpost, is their eighth store followrng the lead set by predecessors, including those in Brighton, Cardiff and Chester. Brightly lit and styled in Simple pale wood, the store is easy to browse in, a shopfloor uncomfortably over or under-stocked is a common trait for many such outlets. 'Our policy has always been to steer away from the more populist labels and go for the best specialist names we can find,’ explains acting manager John Baker.
Whether it is jeans With 32in bottoms (these are small, they do them as big as 69in), wheels for your skateboard or an adult spacehopper you need, you’ll find them here. If you can’t make it to the shop then console yourself With their web srte at wwwrouteonecouk which has all their stock,
prize draws and more on-line.
’We go to the US and approach the more interesting clothing and equipment labels and as a re5ult we have become the main UK distributor for a number of brands,’ says Baker. ’The idea is you’ll buy something from here and not see twenty other people in the street With it on.’
(Mark Robertson)
I Route One, Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, 0737 226 2 73 7,
www. routeone. co. uk
INTERIORS Fired Earth
If you have ever wondered how to get that authentic rustic feel in your house then look no further than Fired Earth in Glasgow. The company was started back in the early I980s during the
106 THE LIST 5—18 Jan 2001
architecture boom and to this day it is still architects and designers who play a large part in the success of the company, making up a high percentage of the clients alongside anybody else Who has an eye for unique hand made products.
The products available in the only Scottish showroom are paints, tiles, fabrics, floorings and rugs SOurced from around the world and bOught directly from source — including the nomadic tribes who weave the rugs. Even the paints are based on the colours of the Victoria & Albert Museum With the fabrics and cushions in excluswe Fired Earth designs. Tiles are a popular part of the business With a Wide range of designs and styles on offer to Suit every room in the Muse, With the majority being hand made so it is very rare that you Will ever find two the same — a fact that would drive the best tiler to despair. The designs are based on classics such as Delft and mosaic styling but there are also glass and steel tiles to keep the fashion
devotees happy The style-conscious are also catered for in their flooring range, With a vast array of deSIgns in wood, tile and stone, from an old Wine cellar style to a Tuscan villa look According to the manager of the Glasgow branch, Robert Docherty, ‘The Success of the Glasgow showroom has been phenomenal’, With people apparently travelling from across Scotland to pay them a Visit The Scottish response has been so good they Will be opening an Edinburgh branch on Castle Street in March which Will bring their number of shops to around the 50 mark It has to be said that when the words quality and unique are used y0u know the prices are gomg to be on the heavy side, but Whether you want to kit out your house or JUSI buy a tile to sit yOur teapot on, then this is the place to go and pick up something Just that little bit special (Jane Hamiltoni I Fired Earth, 83 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, 0747 204 0977, Open Mon—Sat 9 30am—5 30pm,
market@|ist.co.uk
Shoptalk
Spend, spend, spend. . .
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