you'll ncycr gucss what thcy scll). junk shops. lonc gcms such as unassuming \‘intugc troyc Handbags and Gladrags and u strctch ol‘ thc hcst charity shops in thc city. (irczit Wcstcrn Road. by contrast. is rapidly turning into yummy mummy tcrritory. llctwccn Iong—cstzihlishcd storcs Felix and Oscar (lirst ()rlu Kicly stockists in (ilusgowl and thc l‘irst showroom ol‘ thosc locul tcuruwaiys Timorous Beasties. a crop of glossy gift and intcriors storcs many of thcm promoting thc work of high—cnd locul dcsigncrs has sprung up. Nancy Smillie, Damselfly and the Queen Bee. and Galletly & Thbbs hcing thc higgcst numcs. But thc urcu still kccps in touch with its scrul‘licr. studcnt roots: thcrc arc wcll-priccd.
k1 Yarns, Queen Margaret Drive www.k1yarns.com
Boxwood, Byres ' - z -
4..
zicccssihlc yintugc clothcs ill Watermelon and sonic similarly classy itcms round thc corner at Retro. thc cxccllcnt sccondhund hookstorcs Voltaire and Russo and Caledonia Books. which is ycry good for Scottish fiction. and cmo-kid‘s pur'udisc Lupe-go-Iightly. Also worth :1 mcntion urc thc huddlc ol' spcciulist dclis around
llyndlund Strcct. and thc lovely mix of
untiqucs storcs. Futureshock Comics. halal hutchcrs and culcs on Woodlands Road . 'l'hc Wcst lind‘s rcsidcnts may hc ripc l‘or ridiculc. but they know thcy‘rc onto a good thing. (Kl)
AREA FOCUS: RUTHVEN LANE
INDEPENDENT .o GUIDE
Hayley MacLellan opened vintage-look lingerie boutique Betsy LaBelle at the bottom of Byres Road last year. It's since become a favourite on Scotland's burgeoning burlesque scene
‘I used to be a social worker, and I just fancied being surrounded by nice. pretty things for a while. I suppose. I find there's a really big gap for affordable, vintage-look lingerie in the market in Glasgow. There are the big chains and the boutiques like Boudiche and Agent Provocateur, but they’re all high end. and unless you want to spend $200 on an outfit. you just can't do it. I didn't set out just to stock all small. independent designers — originally, I wanted to stock products like the Dita Von Teese Wonderbra, but many of the big designer names quite strictly only supply to big chains or they require large minimum orders. making it really difficult for small businesses to stock them.
‘Given what's happening just now, I don't think sales are necessarily an accurate measure of how a business is doing. The reaction from customers is absolutely incredible: they come in and tell me it's like going in a 508 movie star's bedroom. People are coming in just to see the inside of the shop. which is really lovely. The shop owners around me at the foot of Byres Road are really supportive. full of community spirit. There's not one element of competition and if you're doing well people are genuinely excited.‘
I wwwbetsy/abeI/e.co.uk, 0845 8388 457
The public outrage online following recent reports that Ruthven Lane's Mews, a ramshackle collection of ‘units‘ housing some of the most distinct indie shops in the city, was to be demolished for office spaces and flats has attracted a lot of attention. The List spoke to Alan Fraser, who with wife Alison Keith has run one of our favourite second- hand and vintage shops, Glorious (formerly the Glory Hole) in the Mews for over a decade.
‘DiMaggios [who run a restaurant in the area] have bought all of our
plots, and they have submitted a planning application, but I would be very surprised if we weren‘t here in two years’ time. They've shown us the new building plans, and explained how much it would cost to rent and buy up a plot. I'll be honest; I don't think any of us could afford the increased rent. However, I don't see them just getting rid of us, not in the current economic situation. There are ten shop plots sitting empty on Byres Road just now.’
As well as Glorious, the Lane is home to the three-decade-old
vintage bolthole Starry Starry Night, the magnificent junk-heap of Relics antiques store, Circa Vintage, Play It Again Records and new young design at AG’s. It's one of the only places where the original bohemian spirit of the West End still seems to linger on, and it’s so unselfconsciously cool that Commes des Garcons asked local shopkeepers if they could open one of their rare guerrilla stores there. As Fraser makes clear, the threat isn't imminent, but watch that space, folks. (Kl)
16—30 Apr 2009 THE LIST 17