Sadness as Perthshire gift shop to close after just 16 months

"The footfall isn’t there to make it something I could make a living from,” said its owner

By Gavin Harper

March 6 2023, 4:33pm

Perthshire gift shop Peg & Patch, which opened during the pandemic, is to close. Image: Google Maps.

A Perthshire woman is closing her gift shop later this month, just 16 months after it opened.

Tracy MacNicoll first started Peg and Patch as an online business in 2018. In November 2021, she opened a store on Auchterarder High Street.

Tracy explained why she was inspired to open the shop alongside a career in corporate communications.

“One of my aunties said if she won the lottery she would buy me a shop.

“From there, the idea sat in the back of my head.

“I like to travel around Scotland and I was always disappointed with what we sell in the shops – that red tartan tatt.

“I liked the idea of a shop and I wanted to promote Scottish designer and makers.”

Perthshire gift shop to close

However, less than 18 months later, she has decided to shut the shop and close the business.

Tracy said: “It’s unfortunate but it’s not a sustainable business for me.

“I’ve got someone in the shop a couple of days a week so I can continue to do my corporate communications job to pay the bills.

“The footfall isn’t there to make it something I could make a living from.”

Tracy said even if she took on a member of staff full-time, there is still too much behind the scenes work for her.

However, she added the decision to close the shop – named after her great-grandmother ‘Peg’ and her grandmother’s dog ‘Patch’ – was a difficult one.

“It has been an incredibly difficult decision.

“I’ve loved doing it but my head says that I should go out and do the work in corporate communications while I can.

“I knew I needed to make a decision and I kept putting it off. I needed to be practical.”

Tracy said she would have needed business to be “dramatically different” to the past year to make keeping the shop open viable.

She plans to close the business on March 25. However that could be brought forward depending on availability of remaining stock.

Local artists have agreed to use the shop as a pop-up until a permanent tenant is found.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported the business.

“There is a lot of talent out there – the people that we stock in the shop are absolutely fantastic.

“I’d encourage everyone to keep supporting them.”