Talking shop with Indie Edinburgh
Offering something unique is a superpower for independent retailers, and Indie Edinburgh, the company behind Edinburgh gift shops Pie in the Sky Ltd, Eden, Mysa and Cookie has nailed it. We talked to directors Erin and Chalan to find out more about their approach to retail and why books are essential for their ranges.
When Taylor Swift brought her massive eras tour to Edinburgh in 2024, independent boutique Pie in the Sky became the unofficial destination of Swiftie merch. Footage of Taylor fans queuing out the door went viral on social media and the shop was cleared out of its stock.
“Taylor Swift was huge for us,” says Erin Harman, director at Pie in the Sky Ltd. “We didn't really plan it that way. We weren't even promoting that we had Taylor Swift stock, but I think once it was shared on TikTok, it just went completely bonkers. It was out of control. The shop was half empty after that week, genuinely. We got completely cleaned out.”
Pie in the Sky has been an Edinburgh institution since the 1970s. For the city’s students, visitors and young people, it’s a well-kent fixture of the city’s Old Town, adding to the character of its cobbled, Victorian location of Cockburn Street.
"We’re always trying to keep it fresh and switching it up."
Erin, who began her retail career with Pie in the Sky as a shop assistant, describes the shop as “eclectic and slightly chaotic”, which plays down the distinctiveness it has achieved. While trends come and go, Pie and the Sky has maintained a clear identity as a retailer that welcomes alternative tastes, while having a nose for the zeitgeist.
“Pie in the Sky has always been evolving. I think every generation remembers it completely differently and everybody always thinks that their era is the best,” says Erin.
“We’re always trying to keep it fresh and switching it up. It’s often thanks to the people I work with who are very quick to react when there is something that captures the imagination. We'll respond with products within a couple of weeks of a show airing.”
Pie in the Sky stocks a broad range of products from stationery to clothing to trinkets. Anything that helps customers express themselves and their tastes. Books became a feature of their ranges 10 years ago to complement a niche witchcraft and tarot card product selection. Today, books are a bestseller, and the collection has expanded.
Tarot cards, astrology and spell books continue to sell well, but other bestselling themes for books include literary icons, such as Brontes and Jane Austen, and popular culture, including Taylor Swift and Harry Styles titles.
Erin works with Bookspeed to source titles, liaising with their account manager to build ranges that work best with the themes of the shop.
“Katie’s great. She will ask me to send me a list of specific things I’ve seen that can be quite hard to get. For example, she’s managed to source me unusual tarot decks I’ve asked for. Another time, I was looking for a book illustrated by the maker behind a specific brand we stock. Bookspeed were able to supply it, and it ended up becoming one of our bestsellers. It’s important to find things, like that, which aesthetically tie in,” explains Erin.
The boutique can get very crowded, during peak times. But Erin has found some space-saving solutions for displaying lots of books without sacrificing precious floor space.
“We use the cube storage Kallax units from IKEA. I've got three of those in a row positioned along the biggest wall of the shop. We have them on top too, so that the books are at eye level. We organise them by themed sections. The cube storage underneath gives us a lot of space to pack in even more,” says Erin.
Since opening in the 1970s, the company behind Pie in the Sky has expanded its retail presence on Cockburn Street with three further shops. Eden, Mysa and Cookie all offer shoppers something distinct, instead of competing directly with each other.
Co-director Chalan Field looks after the buying for Eden and Mysa. The former caters more directly to tourists offering Scottish-themed products, while Mysa offers aspirational lifestyle ranges.
"It's pretty easy to find a book that fits with whatever you're trying to put together.”
Books complement products in both spaces. Chalan started introducing the parody Ladybird books to the range as a humourous add-on to a gift. But as the sales grew and the customer base diversified, Chalan saw further potential for books.
“We'll tie books to other products. It's pretty easy to find a book that fits with whatever you're trying to put together,” Chalan explains.
“In Eden, for instance, we have a Scottish table where we’ll put regional books with things like nice candles and sweeties. In Mysa, I look for products that you would not only buy as a gift, but choose for yourself. We selected some design and John Derian books to complement another arty, vintage brand we stock, and they sold really well.”
"I've never had to put a book on sale!”
Cookbooks, classic editions and mindfulness titles all work well in the ranges for Mysa and Eden. Like co-director Erin, Chalan also partners with Bookspeed for product inspiration and sourcing.
Chalan says: “Our Bookspeed account manager is amazing. She really does enable me a lot in my book buying. She's just got such a great eye. She'll put together the catalogues for us and she's never wrong about what she suggests. I've never had to put a book on sale!”
This bespoke approach to product selection means that the same business operating four retail outlets on the same street can offer three very distinct book ranges using a single supplier. These very unique boutiques can truly cater for every type of visitor who takes the steep cobbled path that is Edinburgh’s iconic Cockburn Street.
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