The family which owns one of Perthshire’s oldest shops have now opened the county’s newest retail outlet.
Mum and daughter team Jenni and Isla Moncrieff have opened Birdie, a sustainable fashion shop in Atholl Road.
For the past 20 years the Moncrieff family has owned Macnaughtons of Pitlochry – which dates back to 1835 and the reign of William IV.
The new shop is located in the former Just the Ticket office for Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Birdie inspiration
Isla said the idea for the new shop came during the Covid-19 lockdown and has been more than two years in the making.
She said: “In lockdown I was out in nature more and just thought wouldn’t it be nice to help the planet.
“The new shop is all about sustainable fashion – clothing using organic cottons, hemps, linens.
“For the items made abroad everything is produced in a five-mile radius from cloth to manufacturing.
“A lot of the products are made to order so there’s no waste.
“We are trying to do thing as sustainably as possible to the point that our coat hangers are made out of recycled cardboard.
“There is also a quirky range of gifts. The shop is not just aimed at tourists and we hope it’s something a little different.”
Refurbishing the premises has been ongoing since February. It opened on Friday morning.
Clothing that lasts
Meanwhile Macnaughtons of Pitlochry has also been trading well, which gives the family confidence for the new venture.
Isla adds: “I know times are hard for people with the energy crisis but I do think people are still coming out and spending when they see nice quality clothes that they like.
“People aren’t buying clothes that are a one wear, one wash. That’s a benefit for Macnaughtons and for this new shop. It’s clothing that lasts.”
Isla, who is a keen golfer, said her friends assume the name Birdie relates to golf.
However, Isla thinks it underlines the connection to nature and the environmental aims.
She adds: “Birds are natural and for me this shop is like me spreading my wings and flying out of the family nest into something else.”
Conversation