Andrew Graham is on the move with his second kilt shop Kilt-marnock set to open.
A kilt shop owner is set to make an emotional homecoming when he opens his second Ayrshire store.
Andrew Graham owner of Scot 2 B kilts in Ayr is taking his tartan along the A77 to Kilmarnock.
With Andrew serving up traditional Scottish attire for all occasions, including weddings, proms, and the occasional international football event, the Newmarket Street boutique has been a hit for the past seven years.
Along with sending kilts from Ayrshire throughout the globe, he has even sent one as far as Hawaii.
He is now planning to grow by opening the appropriately called Kilt-marnock on John Finnie Street, returning to his hometown.
The business owner is eager to get going after observing a rise in demand.
Andrew is excited to return to the starting point of his career, especially because he has a minor task of outfitting the renowned Tartan Army in time for Euro 2024 this summer.
“I’m a Kilmarnock boy; I left here 40 years ago and travelled and worked all over the world,” he said in an interview with Ayrshire Live.
In light of our recent success in Ayr, I’m thrilled to be returning and launching my second kilt business.
The need has existed for some time. Since many of our clients already commute from Glasgow and Kilmarnock, we have been eager to open here for some time.
Famous for his £395 offer, Andrew’s firm provides customers with the complete outfit, including socks, flashes, jacket, waistcoat, shirt, tie, sporran, kilt pin, and the indispensable sgian Dubh.
“We do a £395 deal for the whole outfit,” stated 61-year-old Andrew. From Ayr, we sent that all over the globe.
One day, a really large, tall man wearing a size 56 jacket and serving as a US Marine came in.
“We outfitted him for his Hawaiian wedding in twenty minutes.
“People call to confirm the pricing because they are so amazed by the offer they are receiving. Somewhere else, the identical deal will set you back £1175. Our goal is to make kiltwear accessible to all.
“But what really makes a difference is the individualised service we provide.”
The business started as a family affair, with Andrew chucking his job as an international fork lift dealer, to jump into the world of wedding-wear some 15 years ago.
At the time, his wife Lesley was branching out into lady wear, and now the couple run three Ayr wedding shops, with Strictly Bridal for brides, and I Do, for mothers of the groom and bride, making up their portfolio.
Andrew added: “I used to sell fork lift trucks all over the world.
“My wife Lesley had started to dabbling in ladies wear and we decided to make a real go at it.
“Then about seven years ago we started doing the kilts and we’ve not looked back.”
Andrew hasn’t ruled the chance of bringing his wedding empire to Kilmarnock but for now the focus is all on kilts.
And he has told how customers have already had a huge say on the new shop.
He added: “It’s called Kilt-marnock. We asked customers to choose a name because it then becomes their shop.
“We had tons of suggestions sent over, but we’re delighted with what we’ve went with.”
The new shop has created three full-time roles across the two stores.
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