Meet the Stockist – Sunshine No.1

6th December 2018

Continuing our ‘Meet the Stockist’ posts we present the delightful Suzi Sunshine No.1 from our home city of Glasgow!

Hey Suzi! For those who aren’t familiar with Sunshine No.1 – how would you sum up your lovely store?

We are a gift and art shop where absolutely everything we sell has been created by makers and artists who live in Scotland. We opened in August 2015 and have been proud to say that all our suppliers are fellow small business owners from all around Scotland, from the very last island at the top of the Shetland Isles down to Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway.

For a small shop we sell a huge range of products from original art and prints to jewellery, candles, soaps, aprons, kid’s clothing, cards, pottery and seedboms too, of course!

Your shop sounds like the TARDIS! We’re obviously very familiar with the area you’re in but if you were a tour guide extravaganza for one day – where would you recommend to go in the local area?

We are based right beside Scotland’s National Stadium – Hampden Park so I’d definitely recommend starting there with a tour of the stadium and the opportunity to experience the ‘Hampden Roar’!

I also like Cathkin Park where you can find the abandoned Third Lanark football ground, where one of the oldest football teams in the world played. It’s very atmospheric with the terraces overgrown with weeds but it still leaves you with the feeling of the crowds of years past!

A bit further afield you can find Queen’s Park where a walk up the hill to the flagpole is worth the climb for the fantastic views across the city to the Campsie hills in the distance. It’s a beautiful park for a walk in any weather but especially on a crisp, sunny winter’s day.

It’s also worth taking a walk around just to look at some of the beautiful buildings, some of them hidden gems such as the Chroma Building which used to be a Deaf and Dumb Institution and has a carved owl in the stonework, the medical centre that was briefly a council building and is engraved with the Cathcart Coat of Arms and the primary school. Also, some of the tenements are really lovely – take a peek in the doors to see some fine examples of traditional “wally tiles” in the closes!

After all this walking I think a pit stop is needed and we’re very lucky to have a few great places to eat in the area so some delicious food and coffee would definitely be my next recommendation – there are coffee shops, a vegetarian café, Italian restaurants, Indian restaurants and a brilliant chippie all right in the heart of Mount Florida.

Oh my goodness, you could definitely be a tour guide! What is your favourite thing about running Sunshine No.1?

It has to be meeting so many lovely and interesting people and having the opportunity to chat with them – from the artists and makers who supply the shop to the customers who support my wee shop. Everyone has a story to tell and I love that being a small, independent business we can offer a really personal service and take time to get to know our visitors, even if it’s a just a little snippet about their day.

And I also love being surrounded by all the wonderful products we sell and knowing that I’m helping support lots of other small, independent businesses.

We always love chatting to you, Suzi! Thanks so much for taking part.

You can find Sunshine No.1 at:

1043 Cathcart Road, Mount Florida, Glasgow G42 9AF

Instagram: @glasgowsunshine_no1

Twitter: @sunshine_no_1