Eclectic lifestyle store EDIT has returned to Aberdeen to showcase talent from across the north-east.
Products created by more than 30 artists, designers and makers are now available to purchase from a new shop in the Bon Accord Centre.
EDIT, delivered by Look Again at Gray’s School of Art and Deemouth Artist Studios, started as a three-month pop up on Upperkirkgate in 2022 to help activate empty shop units in the city.
Due to its overwhelming popularity, it ended up staying open for more than a year.
Now, the EDIT team have partnered with Bon Accord and relocated to the former Kurt Geiger unit in the lower mall.
“It’s a candy store for the eyes,” said Sally Reaper from Look Again. “It pops. You walk past and can’t ignore it.
“It’s your one-stop shop where you’ll be able to get something unique which has been made by somebody here in the north-east or who has a connection to the area.
“We want the city to get behind it.”
EDIT relocates to Bon Accord
A variety of products are available to buy, from apparel and jewellery, to gifts and cards, across a wide range of price points.
All of the works on sale will be on rotation with more designers – whose names are all displayed at the store entrance – getting involved.
“It’s exciting,” Sally added. “And, great for Gray’s students because they can understand how to be commercial.
“These types of shops are important because, without them, where would these makers get the opportunity to sell their work in Aberdeen?”
Alongside Peter Baxter from Deemouth Artist Studios, Sally has directed the project, while Claire Bruce and Jo Davidson have created the branding and visual marketing.
“We wanted EDIT to become a thing in itself to support the makers,” Claire shared. “It was important to give it a brand so it can become more than a market or a pop-up.
“All the nice touches, such as the postcards and wrapping, enhance the experience for the customers. The makers all have their own versions of that but EDIT is now an umbrella for them.
“We hope it becomes a permanent foothold in the city to showcase all their work.”
Meet the makers
One of the things which makes EDIT unique is the designers and makers donning their customer service caps once a month to work in the shop.
This means customers can have conversations with the artists who can also receive feedback and go back to their studios and adapt their work.
Mhairi McBeath, who creates handmade ceramics from Deemouth Artist Studios in Torry, said it has been “great” interacting with the public in the new space.
“It’s been super busy with people coming in and asking questions,” she said. “That’s what we wanted – to engage with the public and encourage them to shop local and help regenerate Aberdeen.”
The 22-year-old started volunteering in the city’s art scene when she was a teenager and graduated from Gray’s School of Art last year.
“I wanted to hit the ground running and get started in what I want to do,” she said. “Being exposed to the scene from a young age really pushed me into it.
“Getting the studio space was fantastic coming out of art school and it’s been go, go, go from there.”
‘Massive for the creative community’
Dan Allen, who took over the role of dean of Gray’s School of Art in October, also highlighted the invaluable opportunities EDIT offers recent graduates.
“Everything we do at RGU is about providing an education to place our graduates in the best possible place to succeed,” he said.
“For makers, artists and designers, a project such as EDIT offers them a tremendous opportunity to understand how businesses would look after their profession.
“One of the biggest challenges for students in an art school is they don’t always get the opportunity to step back and see their work through others’ eyes. This project gives them that.
“So, it’s big for our students, but it’s also massive for the creative community of Aberdeen.
“EDIT provides a platform many makers have been starved of for many years.”
The shop is open from 11am to 2pm between Wednesday and Friday, and from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays.
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