Our Trading Company celebrates the opening of its first boutique shop in Scotland

Fashionable shoppers welcomed the first Salvation Army boutique charity shop in Scotland with open arms on Thursday 3rd September, as it officially opened the doors to its newly transformed store at 37 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh.

Locals were lining up to be the first to get their hands on designer items such as an Yves Saint Laurent three-piece suit and shirt, a rare Oska bolero jacket, an Anthoni and Alison skirt (RRP over £400), and a pair of Vivienne Westwood-inspired platform shoes.

Shop manager – a fashion graduate and an enthusiast for preloved items - Julia Carruthers conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10.30am, officially opening the shop before the eager bargain hunters came flooding in. The new Edinburgh boutique is the second of its kind to open in the UK, offering a range of high-end, preloved fashion and nearly-new designer items.

Nick Morton, Head of Retail Development at Salvation Army Trading Company  commented: “Following the success of our first boutique in Morpeth, Northumberland, we are delighted to launch our second – and only boutique in Scotland – in response to an increasing demand for high quality preloved items. This new style of shop has proven very popular with everyone from locals to overseas tourists. The great thing about these boutiques is that you never know what you’re going to find – I remember one especially happy Morpeth customer stumbling across a Jimmy Choo handbag!”

[Video Credit: The Edinburgh Reporter News from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo]

Nick continued: “We chose Edinburgh because it’s a vibrant, fashion-forward city, and Bruntsfield acts as a gateway to the popular, trendy shopping district of Morningside. We’re definitely still experimenting with this new shop concept, but so far we’re very pleased with the results. We hope the new shop continues to be a really positive addition to the city for many years to come.”

Shop manager, Julia, was delighted by the response to the shop opening: “We’ve all been beavering away to make sure the shop’s fresh new look was ready for the opening, and after a week of hard work we are so happy with the transformation. The number of lovely comments on opening day and the support we have received from the local community has been overwhelming.”

Julia concluded: “I studied as a fashion student whilst working at the Bruntsfield shop part-time, so I know the area and what sells well. I’ve got a very discerning eye, so I was really proud to hear that customers were impressed with the high end items too.”

Profit that the boutique receives through the sale of donated items contributes to The Salvation Army’s work with people who are vulnerable and in need across the UK, including homelessness and addiction services, care for older people, help at emergency incidents, support for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales and a Family Tracing Service. Over the last five years alone SATCoL has donated over £35 million to The Salvation Army.

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