Hey! Nashy & Abs here 👋
What a week! We are still Fringing while collabing and supporting as many independents as possible.
Anyone caught in that city centre downpour yesterday? I was right in the middle of it. Caught some crazy footage which has gone wild on socials. I was in a bar at George Square when i heard the rain start. It was so loud and heavy i immediately went outside.
I have never seen rain like it in Edinburgh. Rivers started flowing and i headed to the Grassmarket.
The Greyfriars Kirkyard steps were flooded and i met a cowboy with his whip at the bottom of Victoria Street (check out the video!)! The craziest part was the Victoria Street steps! A fast flow of water running down from the Royal Mile which has now been viewed over 6 million times. There was a busker on the steps and i checked if he was ok. He managed to gather his things and get out the way.
I hope the rain didn’t cause too much damage across the city. I did see several shop owners scrambling to block their doorways and some sweeping water out of their shops.
Check my video below and there are lots more videos on my Instagram.
I also bumped into Radio 1’s Greg James yesterday at The Shore Deli. Lovely bloke. In town supporting his wife and her book launch. 🩷
I recorded a quick “What u sayin?” video with him and off we went our separate ways.
Let's get into it! 👇
This week's newsletter includes:
🔥 New business shout-out - Splash & Glow
🏪 Local business highlights
📣 Worth shouting about, 📅 Dates for your diary
💳 A taste of what's on the Thriving Card this week!
If you haven't grabbed your Thriving Card yet, the founding-member price is still available to newsletter subscribers only.
🔥 NEW BUSINESS SHOUT OUT
🎨 Splash & Glow - Ocean Terminal, Leith
We were recently invited along as a family and what a brilliant time we had. Very messy. Absolutely brilliant. 🩷
Splash & Glow is a brand new neon paint splatter experience at Ocean Terminal in Leith. Each guest gets their own canvas and access to a rainbow of vibrant neon paints. Throw, flick, splatter, shoot and drip your way to a one-of-a-kind masterpiece under UV lighting. Ponchos, shoe covers and goggles provided so you can fully let loose without worrying about the mess.
Brilliant for families, birthday parties, hen dos, team building and anyone who just wants to do something genuinely fun and different in Edinburgh. Silent disco sessions available too. The kids absolutely LOVED it and so did we!
📍 Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ
🏪 LOCAL BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
🧵 Daisyboots Designs, Edinburgh
I met Janie at the West End Fair recently and her work completely stopped me in my tracks. Daisyboots Designs creates handmade textile art figures, portraits and collectable characters. Every single one unique, every single one made entirely by hand. 🩷
From bold kilted characters full of personality to miniature Tiny Pals with their own quiet stories, to framed textile portraits of icons like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Debbie Harry and Annie Lennox. The kind of work that takes real skill and real love to create. Custom orders available too, a genuinely special and completely one-of-a-kind gift.
Go and have a browse and give Janie a follow. This is independent craft at its very best.
❓ THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
The Edinburgh Book Festival is in full swing. What is the best book you have read this year and would you recommend it to a fellow newsletter reader? Reply and tell us. The best suggestions get a shout-out next week. 👇🩷
🥐 Krema Bakehouse, Leith Walk, Edinburgh
I caught up with Theo, owner of Krema, yesterday and we shared a video about Krema closing. It caused quite a stir in the comments but it’s really nothing to worry about. Theo will close the shop in October for a few days. The plan is to open a pop-up bakery shop somewhere in town while the Leith Walk shop is shut.
Got any suggestions? Do you have or know of a location where Krema could pop up? We would love to hear about it and pass it on to Theo.
One of Leith's most loved independent bakeries. Freshly baked pastries, bread and speciality drinks on Leith Walk. The kind of neighbourhood bakery that makes your morning genuinely better. Go and treat yourself. 🩷
Thriving Card offer: 10% off all hot drinks.
📣 WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT & DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
🏒 Edinburgh Capitals - Pre Season Fixtures, Murrayfield Ice Arena
The Edinburgh Capitals are back! YES!! The pre-season action kicks off this weekend. Two home games against SNL rivals Dundee Rockets as part of a Festival of Edinburgh Ice Hockey. Saturday 22nd August at 6:30pm and Sunday 23rd August at 5:30pm at Murrayfield Ice Arena. The Capitals Academy will also be taking to the ice earlier on both days. We are SO excited for the season ahead! 🩷
A brilliant recommendation from one of our readers this week. Big Tobacco are an American comedy ensemble bringing their absurdist joke-a-second Pinocchio retelling to The Space UK at 7:15 pm daily. Think Airplane! meets Wet Hot American Summer. Nearly sold out at UCB Franklin in LA last month and called "a well-oiled comedy machine" with "the audience screaming with glee." One of our readers saw it and laughed the whole way through. "If you're queer/like pop culture and have a dark/messed up sense of humour, then this is the show for you." 🩷
Daily. 7:15pm. Upper Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St. Edinburgh Fringe
🌐 Get tickets
Every Wednesday and Thursday throughout August, Amy Jean Evans is performing live at Contini George Street from 3 pm to 5 pm. Free to enjoy with your food and drink. Another brilliant example of Edinburgh's independent scene supporting emerging artists during the Fringe. 🩷
Every Wednesday and Thursday throughout August. 3 pm to 5 pm.
📍 Contini George Street, Edinburgh
Something very cool happening at Lost Shore Surf Resort this Saturday. Red Bull Sessions are back. Get yourself along for a community-focused surf with some of your surfing heroes, including big-wave surfer Ben Larg. With breathwork, mindfulness and mobility workshops running alongside the action, before an optional expression session, BBQ and afterparty to close out the night.
🍕 The Big Blu x Steampunk Coffee, North Berwick
Two of East Lothian's best independents coming together for the perfect Friday evening. The Big Blu pizza pop-up is back at Steampunk Coffee this Friday - speciality coffee roasted on site, a beautiful courtyard, dog-friendly atmosphere and brilliant artisan pizza. 🩷
Vegan cheese and gluten-free bases available by pre-order only. Walk-ins welcome too.
Friday 21st August, 5 pm to 8 pm.
🌐 Pre-order online
📍 Steampunk Coffee, 49A Kirk Ports, North Berwick, EH39 4HL
🎨 Craigo Art at The Shop With No Name, Broughton Place, Edinburgh
A brilliant Fringe week exhibition happening right now and running until 27th August. Craig is showcasing brand new paintings, hand-painted crafts and fine art prints at The Shop With No Name on Broughton Place, plus live painting demos throughout the week. 🩷
Thriving Card offer: 10% off when you spend over £75.
19th to 27th August. Free entry.
📍 The Shop With No Name, 2a Broughton Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3RX
💳 A TASTE OF WHAT'S ON THE THRIVING CARD THIS WEEK
The Thriving Card is doing exactly what it was built to do. Locals are saving money, tourists are finding the real Edinburgh and brilliant independents are getting the support they deserve. Here's a taste of what's on the card this week:
☕ Rising Tide Cafe, Portobello High Street, Edinburgh - Family-run seaside cafe and basement events space right on Portobello High Street. The perfect spot for a coffee, a bite to eat and that brilliant Portobello atmosphere.
Thriving Card offer: 10% off all purchases, sit-in or takeaway. Excluding alcohol. Any day, any time.
🦇 Mercat Tours, Blair Street, Edinburgh - Master storytellers offering multi-sensory history and ghost tours of the Blair Street Underground Vaults. The deepest and most extensive underground vaults in the city. Four decades of connecting visitors with Edinburgh's remarkable past. A brilliant Edinburgh experience year-round. 🩷
Thriving Card offer: 10% off tickets for Historic Vaults or Haunted Underground tours, including exclusive access to the Blair Street Underground Vaults. Use code at checkout.
💆 Tame and Tender, Timber Bush, Leith - Relaxing spa and beauty treatments in the heart of Leith. Massage, facials, nails and lash treatments in a calm and welcoming space. The kind of independent wellness business that makes Leith the neighbourhood everyone loves.
Thriving Card offer: 15% off your first appointment. 10% off each recurring appointment.
🩷 Loads more offers across food, drink, health, wellness, shopping, experiences and outdoor activities. A wee something for everyone.
That's your Thriving Thursday! 🩷
If you haven't grabbed your Thriving Card yet, the founding member price is still available at £45 through the link below:
BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER - £45
We genuinely love putting this together for you every week. The fact that you read it, share it and support it means the world to both of us.
Our Newsletter is a place to shine a spotlight on the many brilliant local businesses on our doorstep and to keep you in the loop on local events and what’s happening in and around Edinburgh.
We really want to hear about new independent businesses that are opening in Edinburgh and the Lothians! Know a business deserving a shout-out? Reply to this email and tell us their story.
Let's Keep Edinburgh Thriving. 🚀
BIG love,
Nashy & Abs