Hey! Nashy & Abs here 👋
Welcome to your weekly Thriving Newsletter!
What a week in the city. Edinburgh Marathon Sunday is almost here, the sun is forecast and the city is going to be buzzing. More on that below.
Before we get into it, a BIG thank you to everyone who has bought a mix of Annual and Tourist Thriving Cards. This means independents are being discovered and the Keep Edinburgh Thriving community is growing. Tourists are really keen to discover local businesses and are reacting well to the card.
If you haven't grabbed yours yet, the ‘Founding Member’ price is still available for our Newsletter Subscribers. £45 instead of £59. Forever.
This week's newsletter includes:
🔥 New business shout-out: Acid House Designs
🏪 Local Business Highlights
☕ Nashy’s pop-up at Old Chain Pier - TODAY!
💎 Worth Shouting About & Dates for your Diary
Let's get into it! 👇
A taste of what's on the Thriving Card this week:
🏪 Cannonball Restaurant & Bar - Monday to Thursday, 12pm - 3pm & 5pm - 8pm,
when you order a starter and main from their à la carte menu, you will receive a complimentary dessert. A landmark 17th-century building at the top of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, overlooking Edinburgh Castle. It serves modern Scottish dishes built on seasonal, locally sourced Scottish ingredients.
🚘 Edinburgh Traveline - £10 airport transfer from Edinburgh airport within a 15-mile radius. Experience a luxury chauffeur-driven service upon arrival in Edinburgh.
🚴 The Bike Fitters - £15 off the cost of a full professional bike fit, applies to the first bike fitted only. Tailor your position for better comfort, performance and power.
🩷 Loads more offers across food, drink, health, wellness, shopping, experiences, outdoor activities and so much more. A wee something for everyone!
🔥 NEW BUSINESS SHOUT OUT
Bored of beige? So are we. Acid House Designs is a brand new, bold Edinburgh-based interior design studio creating colourful, personality-led spaces for people who want their home or place of work to actually reflect who they are.
Founded by Harry, this is interior design with attitude. Brave, brilliant and completely different from anything else out there. If your space needs a personality transplant, this is your call.
Thriving Card offer: Free 20-minute “De-Boring Your Space” mini consultation for Thriving Card members.
🏪 LOCAL BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
🕯️ The Lost Close - Underground Experiences, Edinburgh Old Town
Hidden beneath Edinburgh's Old Town lies one of the city's best-kept secrets. The Lost Close is an underground venue offering immersive whisky, gin and beer tasting experiences steeped in Edinburgh's rich history.
The kind of experience that reminds you why this city is unlike anywhere else in the world. Perfect for visitors, brilliant for locals and genuinely unforgettable. 🩷
💍 Jenny Lockhart Jewellery - Bespoke Handmade Silver Jewellery
Bespoke handmade sterling silver jewellery designed and crafted in Scotland. Jenny creates beautiful pieces across bangles, earrings, necklaces, rings, gemstones and feather ranges. All made with genuine care and craft.
Her memorial jewellery service is particularly special for anyone looking to create something meaningful and lasting. A brilliant independent Scottish jeweller worth every bit of your support. 🩷
Thriving Card offer: 10% off all website products.
🎈Thriving Pop Up - Our 4th of the year!
☕ COME AND MEET NASHY - TODAY / THURSDAY 21ST MAY
Nashy is popping up at the Old Chain Pier, 10am to 4pm.
Come and say hi! Hot drinks and scones are available to purchase until 12pm. Food is available from the bar after 12pm.
One of Edinburgh's most iconic spots right on the waterfront. If you're a business owner, a cardholder or just someone who wants to chat about all things Edinburgh, come and find Nashy; he’d love to see you! 🩷
Thursday 21st May, 10am to 4pm.
📅 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY & WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT
🏃 Edinburgh Marathon - Sunday 24th May
Sunday is Marathon day and Edinburgh is going to be electric. Thousands of runners are taking on one of the UK's fastest marathon routes with a sunny forecast to boot. Road closures will be in place across the city from early Sunday morning, so plan your journey accordingly.
Get out and cheer someone on. There is nothing quite like the energy of marathon day in Edinburgh and every single runner will feel the difference when the crowds are loud. Find your spot on the route and make some noise. 🩷
🎵 Haddstock Festival - 29th to 31st May, Haddington
East Lothian's brilliant community festival is back and it's filling Haddington's bars, cafes, halls and green spaces with music, art and a huge sense of community. This year's theme is climate, with a garden trail, author talks, art exhibitions, nature workshops and music of every genre all over town all weekend. 🩷
Headline gig, Saturday 30th May at the Haddington Corn Exchange: Man of Moon, Alice Faye (2026 BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year) and Sarah/Shaun.
Doors 6:30pm. Tickets £20/£24 from the Brunton box office.
🚪 Hidden Door Festival - 3rd to 7th June
One of Edinburgh's most unique and exciting arts festivals is back and this year it's going out with a bang. Hidden Door takes over The Paper Factory. A huge abandoned industrial site in West Edinburgh. For one final spectacular takeover, celebrating The Last Shift for the building before it gets demolished. 🩷
Five days of music, art, theatre, film, dance and spoken word transforming forgotten warehouses, factory floors and offices into something genuinely extraordinary. Weekend headliners Jenny Hval and Valtos Presents: High Water Mark.
The kind of festival that reminds you why Edinburgh's grassroots arts scene is the best in the country.
Wed 3rd to Sun 7th June. 🎟️ Tickets on sale now.
💪 FEMALE COMMUNITIES - WORTH KNOWING ABOUT
Two brilliant female-led community events took place last weekend and both deserve a mention. Edinburgh and its surrounding areas have an incredible community of women supporting women through sport and we’re here for it. 🩷
A brilliant event combining an inclusive, self-paced run for all abilities, followed by a sound bath from Vicki at The Yurt at Belhaven, tasty pizza from Hector's Dunbar, a free chocolate, badge, electrolytes and a mocktail from Nitro Mocktails for all participants.
Fresh air, exercise, a chance to connect with like-minded women and doing something lovely for yourself. The kind of event that leaves you feeling brilliant. Abby was there on Friday and loved it. Each month, Delphi and Molly bring something different. Keep an eye out on socials for future offerings. 🩷
Debi and Nikki have started something really special here. A new community group encouraging women to step out of their comfort zone and into board sports. Females are massively underrepresented in board sports in the UK right now.
The first event at Fox Lake on Sunday included 38 women of all abilities having a shot at wakeboarding together. New connections, new friendships, lots of beaming smiles and nothing but positive encouragement and support throughout from everyone involved. At Fox Lake, the sun always shines and the tunes are tremendous. Watch this space, this is the start of something truly beautiful. 🩷
That's your Thriving Thursday! 🩷
Remember to get down to the Old Chain Pier today between 10am and 4pm to meet Nashy if you can.
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.
Are you a local business owner? Would you like to join our Thriving Card? It’s FREE and takes only 2 minutes to register.
Let's Keep Edinburgh Thriving. 🚀
BIG love,
Nashy & Abs