Edinburgh Mercantile: satisfy your curiosity at this new Stockbridge shop offering 'everything a home needs'

It’s all about quality over quantity at Edinburgh couple David and Roz Spencer’s new shop in the Capital.

Roz and David Spencer and the outside of their new shop Edinburgh Mercantile in North West Circus Place picture: supplied

Filled with carefully selected products made from their favourite traders located all over the world, newly-opened Edinburgh Mercantile in North West Circus Place is open for business.

"Everything we sell is either something that we love to use ourselves, or made by people who we really admire,” said owner David, whose background is buying and selling in fashion.

"Edinburgh Mercantile is a general, lifestyle store with beautifully designed and crafted practical products that every home needs.”

From ceramics to textiles to irresistible smelling candles, the new Stockbridge neighbourhood shop sells a diverse collection of items, hence the sign on its window saying “the new curiosity shop.”

Not only is the business David and Roz’s dream, but they said it’s also a nudge to change customer shopping experience.

“We have selected what we sell very carefully rather than just ordering an overload of stuff,” he continued.

"We want each thing we sell to have a place in the shop and to be something practical for people to buy.

"And it’s all laid out quite spaciously rather than crammed together like what we can see in other shops because we want to encourage that change to make a more positive shopping experience.

"It’s a simple layout which makes things simpler to find."

Despite the uncertainty surrounding setting up a business as lockdowns are reinforced across the country, the Spencers had no qualms about fulfilling their dream of opening a shop in one of their favourite cities.

"It’s a challenging time for everyone during Covid at the moment, but we’ve wanted to do this for a while and we are generally positive people so we made the decision to just go for it,” David said.

"Like everyone you have moments of self-doubt, ‘is it going to work?’ sort of thing, but it’s what we really want to do so why wouldn’t we do it?

“And we wanted a slower pace of life after working long hours in the fashion industry and this just seemed like the perfect plan.”

The couple launched their family business in June, online, and opened the shop just last week.

Mercantile, a term relating to trade or commerce, seemed to be the perfect word to sum up the couple’s business with their supply of goods from a plethora of traders from all over the world.

The logo was created in collaboration with Tom Lane, aka the Ginger Monkey, an established letter designer based in Liverpool.

It was then artistically projected onto the Edinburgh Mercantile’s shop window by talented signwriters Thomas Hatch Robertson and Thomas Payne who both regularly work together illustrating businesses in the Capital.

"It’s been wonderful seeing it all come together, and now we are just looking forward to sharing it with others.”

Edinburgh stockists at the shop include Dook soap and ceramics made by Borja Noronta.

The property was previously boutique women’s clothing shop Eden.

Edinburgh Mercantile is open from 11am until 5pm, Tuesday through to Saturday and is closed Sundays and Mondays.

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