Blog

blog:cast   As most of you will know, last night was Burns night, and all across the Merchant City restaurants and hotels were celebrating the life of Rabbie Burns in their own way. Sadly we couldn’t be everywhere at once; but to get a feel for the night, our intrepid b [...]

   blog: cast    January 25th marks the birthday of Scotland’s favourite son and our national poet, Rabbie Burns. All over the  world, the life, loves and poems of Rabbie Burns are celebrated with a night of traditional food, music,  poetr [...]

blog: cast    Not sure what to do this Hogmanay? Worry not – we’ve got all the answers! Merchant City has got something going on to suit everyone this Hogmanay: whether you are a music lover, foodie, clubber or family guy or gal. Come along to see out 2011 and welco [...]

blog:cast     Art and craft markets often conjure up images of draughty, dilapidated community halls and Styrofoam cups filled with tea. However, Merchant Square does its weekly craft market with style! There are a range of great family-friendly restaurants, cafes and bars [...]

blog:cast   Christmas is coming and with it the season of wining and dining. In that spirit, after a busy week in the office a couple of us Merchant City lovers headed to Urban Pind in Candleriggs to try out their brand new cocktail menu. We were welcomed with a smile and relaxing [...]

  blog:cast   The health and wellbeing scene changes quickly; with yoga, tai chi and Pilates fading into the background we sent our reporter to discover the next upcoming form of gentle exercise – ballet.  As a dance rookie, Dance House’s Ballet [...]

blog:cast Hola! To Pinto Mexican Are you up-to-date with the latest trend to hop across the pond from America to Glasgow? We sent a couple of taste testers to say ‘Hola!’ to Pinto, the brand new Mexican ‘casual dining’ experience on Queen [...]

blog:cast   Helen McCook teaches regularly on the Royal School of Needlework (RSN’s) day classes and Certificate and Diploma courses at Hampton Court Palace.  She also works on a range of projects including designing, making, exhibiting and consultancy work on valuing, [...]

blog:cast       If you come down to theBrunswick Stage at 2pm on Sunday 24th as part of Merchant City Festival you are in for big Latin surprise from Boteco do Brasil and Descarga Dance Co! We grabbed a chat with Angela Pinto from Boteco do Brasil and Kate Carbonell fr [...]

blog:cast   Merchant City caught up with Rachel Jury, Artistic Director of Confab and poet Viv Gee to hear all about the Hidden City Walking Tour taking place as part of the Merchant City Festival 2011 in which five writer/performers have been specially commissioned to each produc [...]

blog:cast     We caught up with the Team at Merchant City Marketing & Tourism Co-Op to see what they are most looking forward to at the Merchant City Festival 2011.                       &nb [...]

blog:cast   If you go down to  Virginia Court on Saturday July 23rd at 2pm you’re  in for a big surprise, as Parrucche Wig & Hair Boutique presents its, ‘Princess and Queens Fabulous Fashion Parade!’ ,as part of the Merchant City Festival 2011. We c [...]

blog:cast     We dispatched our roving reporter to test out the brand new Thai Style Hot Compress Massage available exclusively at Neal’s Yard Remedies.             I am standing in Royal Exchange square looking through th [...]

blog:cast We caught up with Ian Diamond and Drew Bigglestone - owners of adult boutique Luke & Jack to see what treats they have in store for love, life, celebration and of course Summer Lovin’.        MC: Tell us about these shiny [...]

blog:cast   Merchant City dropped into WASPS Studios at The Briggait to have a peek around the studio of local artist, James Murphy.   James’ work looks at spaces and places, but don’t be deceived - they are more than just simple landscapes. The canvas is fill [...]

blog:cast     Merchant City dropped into the IronBratz Studios on Miller Street for a quick chat with Dele Adeyemo & Marc Cairns from Pidgin Perfect to find out a bit more about their work, and what they like about Merchant City. MC: Tell us about Pidgin Perfect, [...]

blog:cast   Who says men can’t dance? To test out this theory we sent an undercover male reporter to take part in one of Dance House’s lunchtime ‘Light Bite’ dance classes at Scottish Youth Theatre. We’ve all been there, you’ve shaved, got your [...]

blog:cast Christian Johnstone is a vocalist with rising local band Dreams and Empires. He is the poster boy for our Manifesto campaign-showing what Merchant city has on offer for men running throughout the month of May. We caught up with him in the 13th Note to see what life is like f [...]

blog:cast   Merchant City dropped into Tinderbox on Ingram Street to catch up with Becky White. Becky lives and works in Merchant City, and runs her own public relations company Becky White PR. She is getting married at 29 Royal Exchange Square in a few weeks’ time! [...]

blog:cast   This week Merchant City caught up with Clarsach player Jennifer Port in Bar Gandolfi. Jennifer has been playing the Clarsach for 20 years and has been professional since 2004. She has played at corporate events, government receptions, and can usually be heard at [...]

Merchant City caught up with Sarah Raffel-Founder and creative director of Brazen Studios- in her busy jewellery workshop for a cup of tea and a chat all about wedding ring trends!   MC: Hi Sarah, great to be here in the workshop! Can you tell us some of the top trends for [...]

In April, wedding Fever hits Merchant City! We are showcasing all of the best venues, clothing, food, drink and entertainment to be found in Merchant City to make the big day perfect. We are looking for you lot to send us anything wedding related to make the big day special. We are looking [...]

The Magners Glasgow International Comedy festival launches city wide on March 17th.Here is a look at what’s happening in some of Merchant City’s top venues! For full listings of what’s on click here.            & [...]

Merchant City is tickling its ribs and priming the red carpets in preparation for this weeks offical launch of the Magners Glasgow Comedy Festival running 17th March- 10th April 2011. Now in its ninth year the festival has grown from its beginnings at the Stand Comedy Club to be [...]

1500 Artists, 300 events, 18 days, 14 venues….What’s going on in Merchant City??  It’s Celtic Connections 2011 of course! Established 1994- Celtic Connections is celebrating its 18th year and returns with its eclectic mix of concerts, ceilidhs, talks, late night sessions a [...]

Who needs Covent Garden…When you a have a new luxury wig & hair boutique, a luxury fish spa and a boutique dedicated to celebrating life & love; all located in and around MC’s Virginia Street.      Virginia CourtVirginia Court i [...]

A warm & cosy welcome...As we snuggle into our new season knit-wear, we would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new businesses each helping us to keep cosy this winter!    Bonjour or should we say Ciao Boudoir!Situated on the corner of [...]

I was thrilled when I learned that I won free tickets to the Minimal Festival from the Merchant City Tourism and Marketing Co-Operative. I was delighted, not just because I never win stuff like this.  I entered in the first place because the festival itself looked amazing!    I had [...]

  Although I’m not a Merchant City business person, I was notified of this event by a Facebook friend and as a writer and researcher, I was invited along to write this blog. Veronica Low of St Andrews in the Square introduced the workshop. Her venue has benefited from increased visitors [...]

 

This month I met with the creative & talented Paul McJimpsey of "Get Loose Promotions", a.k.a Jlo the resident promoter for Merchant City’s muso hot spot Maggie Mays!Last Month he booked upcoming blues artist Marcus Bonfanti straight after his debut appearance on STV’s The Hour [...]

For all you Indian food lovers, we introduce to you, drum roll please! Thali , ‘Authentic Indian Tapas’! Since opening its doors in 2008 Thali owner Harmeet Dilber and his clever team have been committed to delivering an authentic and traditional cuisine with a modern twist! What is th [...]

It’s that time of year and the festival season is in full flow, after a successful Merchant City Festival we now cast the spot light to the International Piping Festival! From 9th - 15th August 2010, Glasgow's George Square and surrounding venues will become a hive of piping activity as we war [...]

  Creativity, spontaneity and a mish mash of everything fabulously arty! Yes ladies and gentlemen we’re talking about ICO ICO the new Merchant City mentoring home to all kinds of creative businesses! Speaking to Lee McLean the founder of ICO ICO you can see why this company is diffe [...]

Wow! What a fabulous Merchant City Festival weekend, we ate, we watched, we laughed, we were astounded by the fun festivities!  Drifting through the festival markets, we sampled delicious Paella, rose tinted Turkish delight and munched through the tastiest burger outside the Brunswick Hotel. T [...]

The Merchant City Festival is back in a new summer slot for 2010 of 22-25 July incorporating its most ambitious programme yet, including several world and UK premieres of both national and international acts. The four-day festival will host hundreds of performances encompassing theatre, music, food [...]

  Hello! Welcome to our first Merchant City Catch Up arts blog! We have our fabulous Merchant City Festival summer slot in July, news on a host of exciting events including fantastic theatre and new music shops and arty eats spots! So pop the kettle on and put your feet up while we share our M [...]

Get-A-Room -not just another music event! This charity night with a twist was created by ambitious event organiser Stevie West and fabulous Brunswick hotel owners - Stephen Flannery, Michael Johnson and David Leishman. The event which took place on Sunday May 2nd, has just celebrated its eight suc [...]

Intrigued when I read an article in the Art Review Magazine which described The Modern Institute as “a model for galleries around the world” I thought I’d pay The Modern Institute a visit and catch up with Lindsay, press officer for the gallery.  I was amazed to learn that fro [...]

The biennial Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art is coming back for 2010. There’s a great programme of events and exhibitions, and even more excitingly, loads of them are happening in and around the Merchant City.   All aboard for the Merchant City art tour ladies and gentlemen! [...]

Eyes right, please ladies and gentlemen: check out the rather amazing artwork the Ramshorn Theatre have managed to commission for their upcoming production of The Slab Boys. Artist, playwright and all-round legend John Byrne's well-salted, exceptionally funny play, which follows three teenage labour [...]

The Magners’ Glasgow International Comedy Festival  has announced plans to invade the Merchant City this month, with a bewilderingly huge programme of rib-ticklers and merry-makers. We’ve put together a little guide to the best of the fest, and organised some excellent discounts for [...]

The Merchants Market, which launched in September last year, has been a roaring success and will continue to be held on the third Sunday of every month.  To combat the freezing temperatures and encourage you to continue to shop for the best local produce and some great arts and crafts, the orga [...]

Project Ability is a tour-de-force when it comes to developing young film talent in Scotland. With three new elements to existing film projects aimed at young people with disabilities, Project Ability is a force to be reckoned with. SCOTTISH FILM TALENT ON TOUR Entries from Scotland to The Co-oper [...]

Merchant City Tourism and Marketing Co-op would like to thank all the businesses in the area for their support throughout 2009.  The campaigns and initiatives we implemented were very successful and we couldn’t have done it without your help.  We have put Merchant City firmly on the [...]

Glasgow International Comedy Festival 11-28 March 2009 Get ready to laugh your socks off as the UK’s largest comedy festival returns for its eighth year.  Last year was the biggest festival yet with 75,000 tickets sold for 347 shows over 51 venues.  Each year the festival attracts s [...]

The Modern Institute, one of the most talked about art galleries in the country and described recently by Art Review Magazine as “a model for galleries around the world”, is moving its gallery to a newly refurbished space in the old bathhouse in Osbourne Street. The gallery, which been [...]

We hear that the £6.5m construction project of one of the Merchant City’s most magnificent buildings , The Briggait, is now complete and will be open to the public in the Spring.  Steeped in history, the building houses Scotland’s oldest collection of market halls and is Gra [...]

The Merchant City has had a starring role in many films and TV series and is set to take centre stage again when BBC3’s new series Lip Service airs in the spring. The series, tipped to be the UK’s answer to The L Word, stars Laura Fraser and follows a group of 20- something lesbians liv [...]

More good news for the regeneration of the Merchant City were announced before Christmas by Glasgow City Council and Dawn Group when they unveiled plans to regenerate a derelict site the size of 10 football pitches next to High Street Station.  A £200million makeover – the UK&rsquo [...]