Hey! Nashy & Abs here 👋
Welcome to your weekly Thriving Newsletter!
Summer is officially here. Temperatures are soaring, the schools are about to break up and Edinburgh is absolutely buzzing with energy. The festivals are incoming, the city is alive and there has never been a better time to get out and explore everything Edinburgh and the Lothians have to offer.
This week's newsletter includes:
💳 A taste of what's on the Thriving Card this week!
🔥 New business shout out - Experience Edinburgh
🏪 Local business highlights
📣 Worth shouting about & 📅 Dates for your diary
If you haven't grabbed your Thriving Card yet, the founding-member price is still available to newsletter subscribers only.
Let's get into it! 👇
💳 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:
🌶️ Braw Sauces - Bold, brilliant and made in Scotland. Braw Sauces are one of those independent businesses that make you wonder how you ever ate without them. Find them at markets across Edinburgh or order online.
Thriving Card offer: 10% off at markets and 10% off online orders.
🗣️ Speak Out with Confidence - Language Courses, Edinburgh - French, Spanish, Italian and German courses with a difference. Small classes, big results. Focus on speaking and understanding from day one. Summer intensive courses are available now. 5 days of 2-hour lessons. Perfect for anyone heading abroad this summer.
Thriving Card offer: First lesson free or 10% off the ‘Speak In A Week’ intensive course (normally £190).
✈️ Not Just Travel with Linda - Independent travel consultant, Linda Robertson, takes the stress out of booking your dream holiday. Personal service, expert knowledge and brilliant perks you won't find on a comparison site.
Thriving Card offer: Free fast-track security with all bookings. Upgraded to free lounge passes for all bookings with a minimum spend of £2,000 per person.
🩷 Loads more offers across food, drink, health, wellness, shopping, experiences and outdoor activities. A wee something for everyone.
🔥 NEW BUSINESS SHOUT OUT
🏛️ Experience Edinburgh - Immersive Walking Tours
Brilliant new independent walking tour company bringing Edinburgh's history to life in a way that feels genuinely fresh and exciting. The Heart of the Royal Mile Tour is a 90-minute immersive walk through the centre of the Royal Mile. Stories about how the city was shaped, the characters that lived and worked here and how Edinburgh went from a medieval walled city to the Athens of the North. 🩷
Give them a follow and check out their tours on the website.
🏪 LOCAL BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
💿 Beat Generation Records - Lochrin Place, Edinburgh
A brilliant new independent record store that has quietly become one of Edinburgh's best-kept secrets. Soul, funk, reggae, house and vinyl essentials right on Lochrin Place across the road from the Cameo Bar.
New releases, second-hand vinyl and a team that genuinely knows their stuff. The kind of shop that makes you want to stay for hours and leave with far too many records.
They also host live evening events. They’re worth following to know what's coming up.
📚 Typewronger Books - Haddington Place, Edinburgh
One of Edinburgh's most brilliant and unique independent bookshops and a genuinely special place. Typewronger is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company operating both a bookshop and events space and a Riso print studio and workspace for writers in residence. 🩷
Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children's books, zines, signed copies and merch all under one roof. Thoughtfully curated, community-led and completely unlike any other bookshop in the city. The kind of independent that Edinburgh should be incredibly proud of.
Open every day of the week 11am to 9pm for now! They are soon to be moving to Bruntsfield Place. Keep an eye on their socials for updates.
Go and lose yourself for an hour in there. You will not regret it.
📣 WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT & 📅 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
☕ The Cobbled Roastery - Thriving Follower Recommendation
This week's follower shout-out goes to Christine and Ken Caldwell all the way from Illinois, USA. They discovered this gem on Thistle Street during their visit to Edinburgh and wanted to make sure everyone else knew about it. We love that. 🩷
"On our last visit, we stayed on Thistle Street and discovered a great coffee shop. The Cobbled Roastery at 48 Thistle Street. We stopped in every morning to start our day. The owners were so friendly and helpful with directions and suggestions. They deserve a shout-out!"
Big thanks to Christine and Ken, you are absolutely right. Go and support Mad Vlad and the team.
🍺 Closet Brewing 4th Birthday - This Is What Community Looks Like
Four years of Closet Brewing and they are celebrating in brilliant style. A craft market and bar with awesome vegan food, a charity raffle with exciting prizes and a few extra special secret activities on the day. Come along and become part of one of Edinburgh's most beloved independent brewing communities. 🩷
Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates.
Saturday 18th July, Craft Market 12pm - 6pm, After party 6pm - 10pm,
🛍️ Makers Market - Portobello Town Hall - Sunday 5th July
Always a much-loved market and this one is at the brilliant Portobello Town Hall. A curated makers market full of incredible local talent. Art, accessories, ceramics, jewellery, woodwork, homeware and more. Young makers are joining in too.
11am to 4pm. Free entry. Dog friendly. Fully accessible.
Big news from one of our favourite Thriving Card partners. Chulo's Stuffed Cookies at 22 Raeburn Place in Stockbridge are now opening on Thursdays for the summer. 11am to 5pm. Huge, indulgent, stuffed to the brim and absolutely worth every single calorie. No excuses not to pop in now. 🩷
Thriving Card offer: 10% off in-store at Stockbridge.
❓ THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
☀️ Summer is here and Edinburgh is buzzing! What are you most excited about?
Festivals, sunny walks, favourite spots to enjoy the sunshine, a new independent you've discovered. Whatever it is we want to hear about it. Reply to this email or drop it in the comments and the best answers get a shout out next week. 👇🩷
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:
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