The new Perth Museum has celebrated a string of milestones since it opened at the end of March.
Three thousand visitors on day one; 5-star status from VisitScotland; 100,000 visitors by the start of July.
But what about the city centre businesses which were meant to benefit from the £27 million attraction?
The Courier decided to ask them about the impact.
It’s a midweek morning as we dodge the rain showers to take the temperature of the city centre.
Scott Street car park is busy. And there are plenty of people shopping on the High Street or seated at pavement tables.
Outside the new museum, families pose for selfies beside a blue and white fibreglass cow.
It’s part of the Hairy Highland Coo sculpture trail, which is raising funds for CHAS and drawing crowds to destinations across Perth and Kinross this summer.
But the museum is packing them in too, with a steady flow of people passing in and out.
So are its neighbours sharing in its success?
Perth Museum turns Cafe Quarter pub into tourist draw
“We’re definitely getting more tourists in,” says Kirsty Robertson at the Kirkside bar.
“Not a huge amount, but the museum is starting to bring people in.”
‘The Kirky’ is a good old-fashioned pub. Light on airs and graces but just the place for any visiting Americans and Germans looking to taste a slice of authentic Perth life.
Kirsty and the team are doing more to cater for tourists now. They’re stocking Perth gin and the local Ossian ale. And they’ve extended the seating area outside.
There are plans for a mini-refurb next – a sign that things are looking up.
“We’ve run this place for 10 years and there’s definitely been an upturn recently,” says Kirsty.
“When it’s sunny we’re absolutely mobbed. You’re lucky if you can get a table.
“Whether that’s all down to the museum I don’t know. But it’s definitely helping with footfall in the city centre.
“I’ve been around businesses in the town my whole life,” she adds.
“You’ve got to be positive, haven’t you?”
‘You can’t just rely on the museum’
It’s a similar picture at Crido’s restaurant, where manager Roxy Stefan is getting ready for the midday rush.
“We’ve been much busier than before – especially at lunchtimes,” she says.
“We would expect to be busier in summer anyway. But we’re getting a lot more tourists – people from Germany, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, all over.”
Closer to home, the Crido’s seafood platter – an £80 mountain of shells and claws – has been going down a storm on social media this summer.
Roxy says it would be a folly for any business to put all its hope in the museum’s basket.
“You can’t just rely on the museum for your trade,” she says.
“You still have to work on all the things like good food and good service that will keep the regulars coming back.
“But we’re pretty happy with the way things are going.”
Customers returning after trying Perth Museum cafe
Hinterland coffee shop is another that’s enjoying a mini tourism boom.
Manager Emma Vandermeer says the influx of German, Spanish, French, American and Canadian customers is an echo of pre-pandemic days.
She’s also been heartened to see regular customers returning after visiting the new Stone cafe inside the museum.
“When somewhere new opens it’s always going to be busy,” she says.
“Everyone wants to check out the new place. And there was a bit of that with the cafe in the museum.
“But people are coming back. It feels like things are returning to normal.”
Ah yes. The cafe.
Of all the complaints that surrounded the opening of Perth Museum, the inclusion of a cafe was one of the most controversial.
Critics said the venue would steal trade from existing businesses in the city’s cafe quarter, and branded it a slap in the face after all the upheaval they put up with during the renovation of Perth City Hall.
Perth and Kinross culture chiefs say 23% of visitors to the museum are eating or drinking in the cafe too.
So who’s catering for the other 77%?
‘There’s a bit of a buzz about the place’
Michael White runs Willows cafe, directly across from the entrance to Perth Museum.
If he steps outside and peers in Stone’s tall windows he’ll see there’s barely an empty table.
It still grates a little, if he’s honest.
“They’re easily doing about 10,000 customers a month,” he says.
“That’s 10,000 customers everyone else could be sharing. That would make a big difference to a lot of Perth businesses.”
But he’s philosophical about where we are now.
“The whole point of the museum was to bring people in to spend time and money in the town,” he says
“But on the flip side it has to generate money if it’s free.
“And it’s great. I’ve been in. I’ve taken the kids around. They loved it.”
Willows is a Perth institution. Michael’s parents opened it in 1992, long before cafe culture was ‘a thing’ in the city.
He and his team worked hard in readiness for the museum opening – putting in more seating outside, erecting a pergola for those changeable Scottish summers.
And he’s planning more improvements in the near future – another vote of confidence in Perth city centre.
“I think there’s a bit more confidence around the town, more positivity,” says Michael.
“We have certainly been busier since the museum opened. The street looks lovely. Footfall is up. There’s a bit of a buzz about the place.
“For me that’s the most important thing.”
Time for rest of city centre to shine
The last word goes to Michael’s neighbours at the Giddy Goose restaurant.
Supervisor Kieran Gibson is another who still has qualms about the impact of the cafe inside Perth Museum.
But he and his team have no complaints about their own trade in the last few months.
There are more families and students going around, and more overseas visitors too. Many say they’ve crossed the street after visiting the museum.
The challenge now is to keep the momentum going.
He’d like to see Perth and Kinross Council putting on more events in the city centre, and paying more attention to the unloved corners in the new museum’s shade.
“It’s nice to see stuff being done around here,” he says.
“But it would be nice to see someone tackling the High Street and Scott Street next.
“It’s great that people are coming to see the museum, but not so good if they’re having to walk past four or five empty shops for rent and another with its windows panned in.”
Conversation