A boutique owner has spoken of her growing confidence in a new future for high streets as a major campaign urges Scots to choose local.
Lauren Brown owns designer clothes store Sisters and Misters in Falkirk town centre, where she has been in business for 28 years.
And, despite the unprecedented challenges that retailers have faced in recent years, she is positive that independent enterprises such as hers can not just survive, but thrive.
The businesswoman spoke after a poll found that 85% of Scots agree it is vital that people in their community support businesses on the local high street.
The statistic was shared as part of Scotland Loves Local Week, which is shining a spotlight on the critical difference that choosing local makes – protecting jobs, safeguarding services and building stronger communities.
Lauren said: “I believe 100% that local businesses like mine can have a successful future.
“I’ve always said that shopping is a social thing. People enjoy the buzz of going out hunting. It’s our hunter-gatherer instinct. People like to see what they can find.
“There’s no getting away from the challenges we’ve faced and we’re in a cost of living crisis. But the only way now is back up. We have to be positive. There are so many businesses like mine which offer something unique, which customers enjoy. And I think people appreciate their local shops more after covid.
“You have to be a chameleon in business to keep adapting, to keep people interested.”
Lauren’s love of retail goes back to her childhood.
Her dad, Bill Brown, ran gentlemen’s outfitters in Falkirk – on the same street as his daughter now operates, Lint Riggs – in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
“When my mum and dad were working, I’d have to go with them to the shop and sit through the back,” she recalled.
“The Penguin clothing brand used to be called Munsingwear. Their logo was a penguin, though, and they sent one for use in a window display. I loved it. I used to ask to get it. I was fascinated by the mannequins too.”
That interest led to Lauren studying retail display and exhibition design at the Central College of Commerce in Glasgow before going to work for high street brands, as well as jeans giant Lee, before she channelled her passion for fashion and retail into her own store.
She opened womenswear business Sisters in 1996, later adding menswear arm Misters. She is a designer too – and was behind the strips for Falkirk Football Club in 2015, 2018 and 2019.
Lauren said: “You have to be determined to succeed. You have to submerse yourself in it. I work seven days a week. I was in the shop for 15 hours the other day, but it doesn’t bother me, if that’s what it takes. It takes a lot to be successful.
“Local support is so important to success, though. I am lucky that I have a really loyal customer base, that people come shopping locally and like it.
“Falkirk has some brilliant independent businesses, but it’s a case of if you don’t use them, you’ll lose them.”
Earlier this summer, Lauren spoke about the importance of choosing local with STV presenter Sean Batty for a special video he filmed for Scotland Loves Local, of which he is an ambassador.
Scotland Loves Local is a campaign to encourage support for local businesses and services as a catalyst to build stronger, more sustainable communities. It is spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) with support from the Scottish Government.
Scotland Loves Local Week, which continues until Sunday (September 3), is highlighting much of that work, urging people across the country to choose local.
The poll of almost 1,400 Scottish adults, carried out by the Diffley Partnership, also found that three quarters (77%) of people agree that choosing local keeps money in their area for longer, improving quality of work and life.
More than two-thirds (73%) also believe that choosing local reduces unnecessary journeys and helps tackle the climate crisis.
Kimberley Guthrie, STP’s Interim Chief Officer, said: “The dedication and determination of the people behind our local businesses is remarkable. Many are unique. They offer services like no other and are there for us when we need them most. We must continue to be there for them.
“There’s a genuine desire in all of our communities for businesses to succeed. To achieve this, residents must continue to support the people around them. Their success is the foundation of creating better places. A stronger, more sustainable Scotland will be one which has localism at its heart.”
For more information about Sisters & Misters, go to www.sistersboutique.co.uk.
Join in the conversation on Scotland Loves Local on social media using the hashtags #ScotlandLovesLocal and #ChooseLocal.
