The cute couple-owned deli opening in Edinburgh's trendy seaside neighbourhood
There’s a new shop on the scene
At the end of September, there will be a new addition to Portobello's thriving High Street.
You’ll find the freshly sage-green painted frontage of Pat’s at number 125, and things are swiftly taking shape behind the scenes of this deli and sandwich shop.
On the cusp of opening day, we asked the enterprising young owners about the Edinburgh project.
Tell us about yourselves
Patrick: “I am Patrick Craigie, 21, and my partner Madelaine Douglas is 23. We have been together for just over six years. We have both always loved cooking and hosting dinner parties, and owning a deli was always a dream. I was born and bred in Porty, so I’ve loved this place longer than I can remember. I went to Towerbank Primary School and then Portobello High School until I was 15, when I dropped out and started working full time. I started off in restaurants, hotels and cafes in Oxfordshire as I’d moved down to live with Madelaine and her family. Then when I was 17 we moved back to Portobello together. I worked in a couple of pubs and a small gift shop called Cove, where I worked up until a few weeks after we got the keys for our own shop. This was the turning point for me as it was an incredible space to grow and learn more about small businesses.”
Madelaine - “I grew up in the Oxfordshire countryside. Moving up to Edinburgh at 18-years-old was amazing because it has everything on its doorstep. I went to college to study interior design, then decided that I wanted to work and save enough money to create a small business. I worked in the Portobello Tap as the assistant manager for about two years, but decided it was time to move to a daytime job. I tried for the design sector, had no luck and then moved to jobs in coffee shops. I was unemployed for about six months. This is when we saw the unit on the High Street. We viewed it on Tuesday and the closing date was Friday. We had three days to get a business plan written and submitted to the landlord. And out of many other offers, ours was picked and that’s where Pat’s officially began!”
Why did you decide that Portobello needed this?
Madelaine: “Living and working in Portobello, we always felt that a great takeaway sandwich place was missing. Somewhere that isn't sitting in, but offers good quality to grab an easy tasty lunch. The stars seemed to align, when we spotted that unit. It seemed like the perfect time to shoot our shot.”
What was the shop previously?
Pat: “It was a hairdresser. Fortunately the new landlord had essentially white-boxed the unit so we started with a blank canvas. While we were waiting for the legal work of the lease to complete we started work. This included a lot of drawings, and 3D models allowing us to visualise the space and the work flow. Functionality is so important when working with food and drink in a small space. Once the keys were ours, we got started the next day, by standing the floors and painting the walls. Over the next few weeks we ripped out the old kitchen, installed a new one and started building the cabinetry and main counter. We had renovated places before but building and fitting out an entire shop was a different kettle of fish. We’ve done all of the work in the shop, except plumbing, electrics and the signwriting. It’s definitely been tiring but being able to work together to create something that is designed and built by us has made it special.”
What kind of products will you be selling?
Pat: “The aim was to buy and support local producers, and provide speciality products. We’re working with Findlay's Butchers for our fresh meat, and then speciality suppliers like a Sardinian supplier Capo Caccia for our more premium deli meats and cheese.”
Madelaine: “Our plan is to serve a selection of fresh sandwiches that are made to order from Company Bakery bread. There will be a menu but also a build-your-own option, using the deli counter stocked with meats and cheeses. We will also be serving coffee, and a varied range of soft drinks. In terms of retail shelving, there will be a wide range of artisanal produce including oil from Chilli Coast, and miso sauce makers Slow Sauce. We hope to eventually offer a charcuterie ordering service that allows us to help the customer personalise their own charcuterie board.”
Any sitting in?
Pat: “There is no inside seating, but we are hoping to obtain planning permission for cafe style outdoor seating.”
Who do you think will be your average customer?
Pat: “We care greatly about the community and unsurprisingly they care just as much back. The support from the locals has been incredible. We’re designing this shop to be what we feel the area needs so hopefully a large portion of our customer base will be local. The great thing about Porty is how brilliant the community is in the quieter months and then over summer with the huge influx of tourists we hope to have a wide range of customers. Our aim would be to be the perfect lunch to take down to the beach, have a picnic or to simply take home.”
Has anyone commented on your impending opening so far, while they pass by?
Madelaine: “There hasn't been a day go by where we haven't had people talking to us. We have really enjoyed it and, once we are open, we hope that people will still want to pop in for a chat. The support from other business owners, like the owners and staff at the local coffee shop Traade, has also been overwhelmingly brilliant.”
Are you nervous or excited?
Pat: “The process was an immense amount of work and stressful at times, but we learned more than we ever imagined and the overarching emotion was just giddy excitement. Excited to get whichever job finished and excited to get the next one started. Coming towards the end of renovations and the opening process, things are getting a little more intense. However the closer we get the more excited the locals seem to be getting, which has really helped keep our momentum going.”
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