Scottish cities and major centers are bustling with shops and little tourist boutiques, filled with sweaters, kilts, Scottish scarves, tweed hats, and accessories. Their quality is undoubtedly good, but prices tend to be higher. The best approach is to also scour the more remote areas and buy directly from factories, wool mills, and artisan workshops. This is where you find real bargains and learn to distinguish the different types of warps and yarns. Department stores are also a symbol of quality shopping and a true institution.
In Edinburgh, for example, the Jenners at 48 Princes Street, a historic department store founded in 1838 and one of the oldest in the entire United Kingdom, is a must-visit. In Glasgow, the Buchanan Galleries on Buchanan Street are popular; while in the Borders, land of lambs and kids, it’s delightful to visit and shop at the Old Blacksmith’s Shop Centre in Gretna Green, whose low white cottages house knitwear shops, Scottish gastronomy, golf and sports gear. Here you’ll also find the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village, featuring clothing from top brands at heavily discounted prices.
For those who want to go to the roots, visiting traditional factories and wool mills, there’s Johnstons Cashmere in Elgin, in the Highlands, which transforms wool into quality fabrics and clothing; or Anderson&Co in Lerwick, in the Shetlands, famous for handmade garments with the typical island design. Other shopping highlights include handcrafted jewelry (don’t miss a stop at the Argyll Arcade on Buchanan Street, Glasgow), glassware (whisky glasses and decanters are very popular, and you can watch their production, for example at the Visitors Centre of the Caithness Glass company in Perth), and Highland Stoneware, traditional ceramics sold in the best shops across Scotland or in the factories along the shore of Lochinver.
