A taste for local craft and communities
Shop Local not only benefits Scottish artisans, but also the environment. Products are often hand delivered to the iCentre by the supplier, thus reducing the impact of transport. Our suppliers enhance the natural and cultural heritage of their region, often employ within their local communities and foster sustainable ways of making their products as part of their business model.
Those working with Shop Local create and sell a wide range of diverse products, including soy coconut wax candles, watercolour illustrations, handmade dog treats, loose-leaf teas, jewellery and brooches, needle-felt gift sets, seaweed and sea salt, whisky barrel crafts and whisky accessories, prints and notecards, knotted-basket kits, locally-written and illustrated books, organic lip balms and soaps and traditional handmade boiled sweets.
Joan Fraser has been Shop Local’s most popular artist in the past few years. In the last year alone, our iCentres have sold over 130 of her Fair Isle scarves, wrist warmers, cowls and headbands. Sales of Joan’s work account for 5% of sales within our Lerwick iCentre.
Visitors are always looking for an authentic taste of Scotland, with food and drink items taking over 5% of all sales. And it's not just our human visitors that are catered for - we've partnered with two local dog biscuit suppliers in the last year and we've sold over 900 packs of dog treats.
The initiative also supports local projects and charities. The initiative collaborated with the ‘Light the North’ Lighthouse Trail by Clan Cancer Support in 2021, providing a sales platform for the charities sticker books in four key iCentres along the lighthouse trail route in Aberdeen, Ballater, Kirkwall and Lerwick.