The East Renfrewshire Gift Card can be spent with over 40 businesses across the region, including in Barrhead, Clarkston, Thornliebank, Newton Mearns and Giffnock. Anne Marie Dobbie is the owner of Kate’s Boutique, one of the businesses where you can spend an East Renfrewshire Gift Card.
Anne Marie said:
“Kate’s Boutique is a ladies wear and accessories store, I stock Peruzzi, Made in Italy and a company called Marble, which is a Scottish company. I’m one of the biggest stockists of Marble in Scotland, and it’s really popular with my customers because it’s all sized and fabulous quality.
“At the moment, I have really nice knitwear in, a few sparkles but I think people are still unsure about parties this year, so the cosy yet stylish items are what seems to be selling well at the moment. Not loungewear though, I don’t think any of us can bear the thought of seeing more loungewear!
“Kate’s Boutique is part of the East Renfrewshire Gift Card because I passionately believe in supporting local and shopping local, and have done for a number of years now. It’s a fabulous idea but what we need now are for people to get behind the gift card and actually buy it and use it. It will bring new customers, potential for new spending, keeping money in East Renfrewshire, and that’s what we need.
“If people don’t shop locally, and if small businesses like mine don’t get people through the door, then I think many businesses won’t last the next 6 months. I sell a small amount online but most of my sales are through my shop in Giffnock. If you buy clothes online, you can’t see the quality, you can’t see the fit. It might look nothing like the picture. I really believe that clothes shopping is best done in person, in store.
“Small businesses are supporting the people who live in the area through the jobs they offer to locals, they are paying for services and goods locally, and they are making the area an interesting, nice place to live. Spend money with them and that money stays in our area. Spend it online and it’s gone. We’ve got a great chance to do something really positive with the East Renfrewshire Gift Card- now we just need to start using it!”