How to be seen

Written on

May 15, 2023

If you are a local business, it can be quite hard to be ‘seen’ these days. Social media algorithms are hard to understand, everybody is bombarded with information on their phones and fewer people than ever read newspapers.

Here at ELL, we can’t change the world, but we can help local businesses to become a little better seen and heard in our wonderful wee part of Scotland. This week, we are delighted to showcase a few more gorgeous local businesses, all of which help add a little colour and cheer to East Lothian….

RASPBERRY LEAF INTERIORS

We are a husband and wife team, Ian and Janet, with a passion for interiors and the environment. Opening the doors to our new interiors shop at Fenton Barns Retail Village in February has made for an exciting start to the year. Both of us have been busy sourcing vintage furniture to up-cycle, as well as seeking out local crafters and makers of home accessories, soft furnishings and gifts to sell in-store. Our aim is to mix vintage charm with contemporary style whilst remaining as kind to the planet as possible.

We stock environmentally friendly British paint brand Earthborn Paints, who produce a range of 72 colours of breathable clay paint, which is ideal for period properties, as well as furniture paint and interior emulsion.

Alongside our home accessories and paint we offer a free interior styling service for help with your home. Whether it's new made-to-measure curtains or inspiration for an entire room, our eclectic style means there are no “rights or wrongs” when it comes to designing your home. Visit our East Lothian shop to view over 200 fabrics from British brand, Prestigious Textiles, and we can have bespoke, curtains, window blinds, cushions and lampshades made up to order for you. With a lead time of around 2 weeks and fabric starting at £18 a metre, there is something for every home and budget.

Shop online at www.raspberryleaf.co.uk for home delivery or collection and visit us in-store Monday-Saturday 10-5 pm and Sundays 12-4 pm (closed Wednesdays).

We look forward to welcoming you to our shop soon.

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BETTY’S BLOOMS FLORISTS

Flowers offer more than colour and beauty. They are just as effective a means of communication as phones. Flowers have been used for centuries to show emotions both openly, clandestinely (just think of secret lovers) or just because we don't have the words.

When one of our customers came into the shop elated by the news of her daughter's engagement and wanting something to give her daughter as she returned from her romantic Parisian proposal, we asked “What would you like?”. "I just don't know", came the reply.

So we helped. The bouquet we made up included:

- Alstromeria with its six beautiful petals to signify devotion and mutual support
- Pink Tulips for happiness and good luck
- Ranunculus for celebration, and
- Pink Rose for romantic love

All tied up with a pink ribbon to signify her mother's care and love (n.b. we left the red roses for her fiance!).

We were, however, left a little more confused by the gentleman who came in and asked for a single yellow rose with some eucalyptus to be wrapped with a red ribbon. We had seen him around the village walking purposefully but alone. While we were preparing this request, the gentleman told us he was going to leave this on a car windscreen. Well, what do you say to that? We are delighted to say that the same gentleman is seen now still walking purposefully, but hand in hand with a lovely lady. He knew what he wanted to say with flowers.

If you'd like to send a message with flowers, Betty's Blooms can help. Drop in. Look forward to seeing you.

16 Links Road, Port Seton. @bettysblooms.co on Instagram

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JO’S KITCHEN

Here at ELL HQ we have known Jo for a number of years and can personally vouch for the deliciousness of everything she makes.

Jo is a professional caterer, based in East Linton, who uses wonderful local produce to create divine food for weddings and events as well as for your kitchen. Jo does regular feast nights where you can collect ready-made dishes from her kitchen to enjoy at home and they are hugely popular. As if that wasn’t all tempting enough, Jo can also provide home-cooked frozen meals for those times when you’d just rather that someone else did the cooking!

Find out more at www.jos-kitchen.co.uk or @joskitcheneastlothian on Instagram

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HYPOPRESSIVE SCOTLAND

Personally recommended to us by a friend, Abby at Hypopressive Scotland offers a range of sessions and courses, both in person and online, aimed to help you build a toned and reflexive core and pelvic floor through the combination of breath work, alignment and (no equipment) resistance training. If you want to change the way you feel about your pelvic floors, Abby is the lady to help you.