When our ability to shop in person was taken away, people realised how much they valued it: Fabhatrix

The Edinburgh Gift Card can be spent with over 220 businesses in the city, including Fabhatrix situated in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket. Owner and milliner Fawns Reid said:

“Fabhatrix has been in Edinburgh for over 20 years now. Our hats are handmade using Scottish Harris Tweed and other quality materials to create unique items, including women’s and men’s hats to suit any occasion from the races to a wedding, a festival to meeting the Queen. One of the benefits of making our own stock is that we can keep our shelves replenished. Of course, there have been far fewer special occasions of late, and less tourists to the city but we’ve been fortunate that we also have good local trade for our regular hats. A good warm winter hat will see you through the Edinburgh winter!

“When our ability to shop in person was taken away, people realised how much they valued it. If you buy online, you’re just buying a nice photo. When you shop in person, particularly for Scottish textiles, you really need to see it in person, to feel the quality, to see the weather protection and the lining. The provenance of an item is more important too, people want to know where their products came from and are ready to invest in an authentic Scottish handmade hat, trilby or fascinator. This interest has helped us to reach a whole new demographic.

“I encourage all employers to think local with their staff rewards. Local businesses in Edinburgh are well stocked, on your doorstep and often have more space and time to help customers. The Edinburgh Gift Card is a very worthy initiative and we’re happy to be a part of the programme as we all work together to keep Edinburgh vibrant.”