Talking shop with Logan Malloch
Scottish independent gift retailer Logan Malloch is more than a shop, but a key contributor to the local Edinburgh Leith community. We talked to co-owner Philip about how they made that journey and why books are an important part of what they do.
When Philip Logan and Brian Malloch decided to switch careers and open a shop together, they couldn’t anticipate many of the challenges that lay ahead. First, they had to transform their premises from an unloved, neglected space into their vision for an inspiring retail experience, taking on a lot of the labour themselves. Then nine months after opening in 2019, they were faced with the pandemic-induced lockdowns, a few floods and the ongoing disruption brought about by the local council’s project to expand Edinburgh’s tram network, right on their doorstep.
But perhaps the couple’s toughest challenge was winning the hearts and minds of the local Leith community. Leith, where Bookspeed is also based, is a district of Edinburgh with its own distinctive identity and a strong sense of community. While parts of the area have been gentrified, the foot of Leith Walk, where Logan Malloch is situated, hadn’t previously hosted many gift and lifestyle shops. The area was well served with pubs, charity shops, barber shops and supermarkets but offered little in the way of independent boutiques.
"Initially, the locals weren't sure about us."
“Initially, the locals weren’t sure about us,” says Philip. “A couple of times, people grumbled about gentrification but now they’re customers. Regular customers. We were able to make them realise that we aren’t some big corporation, just a small independent trying to work it out. We live here, we spend our money here and we have a shop here and our customers know that a lot of our stuff comes from businesses and people that are local.
“It was a bit of a void down here when it came to gift shops. As we expanded our range, it meant that we had that opportunity to give the locals things that they didn’t have down here. We used to be referred to as the posh shop, but now people are becoming more comfortable with us. Even the older guys who drink in the Central Bar come in here because it’s their anniversary or someone’s birthday and they quickly need to get stuff.”
“People generally like that we are quirky.”
Philip and Brian’s vision was to create a gift shop that celebrated and showcased local artists and makers. The customer base is varied. A balanced mix of locals and tourists influences product selection.
“People like that we are quirky and a bit different. We stay away from a lot of the cliched Scottish stuff, because we’re trying to cater to the locals as well. So, we’re trying to find things that are different. When it comes to art, we have prints by local painters and graffiti artists. We like to give our customers a spectrum of stuff. We also want to tap into what’s made locally, and at the same time be environmentally aware,” says Philip.
Books fit well with the creative and cultural retail experience the couple was trying to cultivate. So, when Philip was ready to add books to the product range, finding a local supplier was important. He discovered Bookspeed, just a 15-minute walk away.
“Businesses like ours might need a little bit of guidance, especially with keeping things fresh.”
“When your shop is as varied as ours, it’s good to know that you can tap into support from Bookspeed. Because if you’re not fully in the book world, you’re not going to know what’s new and what’s popular. We can’t always go to the trade fairs, but Bookspeed can tell us what was popular at these shows. You can have an account with Gardners or others, but they’re more geared to dealing with bookshops, whereas businesses like ours might need a little bit of guidance, especially with keeping things fresh,” says Philip.
Book orders were initially modest but have since grown as the book section expanded. In the beginning, Logan Malloch had a coffee shop at the back, but the team quickly realised that they couldn’t give it the focus it needed to succeed. The coffee shop was replaced with a book section, displaying titles face-out on angled shelving built by Philip, like a gallery of books.
“Arrange your books in a way so that people can see the titles.”
“Arrange your books in a way so that people can see the titles. When it comes to funny books, people need to see the cover. Those really hit the gift market so being able to see them is important,” says Philip.
“If you put books on an angle, even if it’s in the middle of the room or on an A-frame, you can display more books than you think would be possible and it gives you that chance to improve your book sales without giving up lots of space. It’s worked in our favour, especially at Christmas time, when people are trying to find gift books. When we move things from our more conventional bookshelves onto our gallery shelves, they sell more.”
Books in the Logan Malloch range include Scottish-focused titles for the tourist market, but also gifting books for locals including poetry collections and mental health themed choices. LGBTQ+ books feature to represent Philip and Brian’s own community, and of course humour is a thread that runs through the whole Logan Malloch product offering.
“A lot of our humourous, quirky stuff works across the spectrum. We will see elderly ladies in here who have picked up a book like Crap Taxidermy and just be chortling to themselves, and then kids come in and the same thing happens. We also get a lot of teachers in here, and they love some of the children’s books we get, things like gender-swap fairy tales and myths. They’ve always been quite popular,” Philip says.
“The shops talk to each other and support each other.”
Logan Malloch is no longer the only shop selling books in the area. A new bookshop, Argonauts, has opened next door. But rather than view their new neighbour as competition, Philip and Brian have spotted an opportunity for collaboration, recognising the value in welcoming fresh independent retail to the area.
“One of the things that happened out of Covid, was that Brian and I set up an Instagram group for businesses in Leith, mainly retailers. The shops talk to each other and support each other. It creates a nice atmosphere and it’s a better way to communicate to avoid conflict,” Philip says.
“It means you can give the community different stuff without us all jumping on the same bandwagon. Adam [from the bookshop Argonauts] will send customers through here for stationery and cards, or books he doesn’t have, so we actually have a symbiotic relationship. Argonauts has titles we don’t have, and we have titles they don’t have. They also supply us with coffee. We can just clean our cups and just pop next door and get coffee!”
“People were willing to stand outside in the winter just to get in .”
It's this community focus that has helped Logan Malloch steadily increase its repeat local business. Brian and Philip are careful to do what they can to make people feel welcome, from thinking about the music they play in their shop (an eclectic mix including Abba, Nick Drake and Dua Lipa) to handing out free chocolate to customers and fellow businesses in need. These gestures have been rewarded with loyalty. The number of customers has increased, even if the average spend has decreased, reflecting the cost of living as well as the needs of the local customer. It means that products, such as books, stationery and cards have an ever-greater role to play.
“We want people to feel it’s nice to be here and make them feel comfortable, and I think that’s worked in our favour. Some of our customers will happily spend money because they know they want to keep something for longer and a lot of them still want to support local business. Others might not splurge as much but they’ll be here more frequently just buying smaller things,” Philip says.
“That first Christmas after the initial Covid lockdown, I was standing at the door managing how many people could come in. The shop space could only hold a certain number and people were trying to do all their Christmas shopping in one go. It was a very weird way of running a gift shop, like a nightclub with a bouncer on the door!
“People were happy to wait. I think people liked us that much and had liked what we had in here that they were willing to stand outside in the winter just to get in and get something they wanted. I think that is a good sign!”
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