On Saturday the 7th of December, it was my great pleasure to visit four very successful small businesses across West Dunbartonshire, as part of the UK’s Small Business Saturday.
I first visited MacK Hair Lounge in Hardgate. I have been involved with MacK Hair Lounge over the last few years, assisting owner, Tracy, secure a lease for the old rent office in Hardgate which had previously been lying empty and disused for over 20 years. Tracy has invested significant capital transforming the building into her stunning salon, officially opening in August of this year. Since then, the salon has gone from strength to strength and is hugely popular with not only her existing customers, but also with local residents.
Tracy from MacK Hair Lounge said;
“It was great that Douglas was able to come along and visit the salon now that it’s open. Douglas was so supportive and helped me massively in getting to the stage where I could get the salon open. He is a champion of local people and local businesses like mine.”
I then paid a visit to Wilkie’s Eyecare who have stores in both Dumbarton & Alexandria. They are a well-known local business with over 60 years of experience in the eyecare sector. They have also recently expanded and opened a new branch in Bearsden.
Claire from Wilkie’s Dumbarton said;
“We pride ourselves on being a small local business, serving the people of the communities we operate within. With a business like ours, you get to know the staff and build relationships with the customers.”
I then visited Staycation Scotland which is based in Dalmuir and ran by Julie Brown. Julie started Staycation Scotland at the beginning of the Covid pandemic when she realised the potential in the market for people wanting to travel and holiday across Scotland.
Starting with just two vans, Julie now has a fleet of more than 15 campervans. With the business doing so well, she now has her workshop converting vans into her own campervans.
Staycation Scotland employs a small team of 6 local people in the area, which is great for local businesses and local people.
Julie, the owner of Staycation Scotland said;
“It was great to have Douglas come along to visit us and hear all about our business. We had a great chat about all things small business, it was great to see a local politician want to come and visit local businesses like mine.”
I concluded my tour of small businesses across West Dunbartonshire by popping into Sam’s restaurant in Hardgate. Sam, the owner, opened the Italian restaurant when he identified there was nothing similar locally, with people often travelling outwith West Dunbartonshire for a meal rather than stay local. Sam’s has fast become a local favourite.
