A weekend exploring Glasgow - A local's guide

Meet your local guide - Karen Harvey

I’m Karen, the owner of two shops in Glasgow—Hoos and InHoos, which are both on Great Western Road in the West End of Glasgow. Hoos has been open for nine years and is known for selling design led homeware along with a wide selection of other lovely things including textiles, jewellery, perfume, clothing, candles and lots of chocolate! If possible, I have brands that are made in Scotland, but I also stock some of the best Danish brands, which enables the store to offer exclusive products you won't see anywhere else in the city.

InHoos is a bigger shop selling Danish furniture from Hay, Mutto, Normann Copenhagen, Ferm Living and String. We also sell lighting and textiles, and the store will have been open for three years this April. In 2025 I have plans to change our mezzanine space to offer a small range of clothes and accessories for both men and women. We are excited about this new development.

KAREN'S IDEAL WEEKEND IN GLASGOW

DAY 1 

If I am not working in the shops, I like to start the day with a leisurely breakfast at home, as my partner makes the best eggs, and if we are lucky, we have some sourdough from Cottonrake to toast! In January, I always make a huge Kilner jar of marmalade, and I add star anise to the Seville oranges, so it's also the time to enjoy this on toast. I then enjoy a mooch around the West End village, visiting other local independent stores to say hello at Niki Jones, Amaryllis, and Kelvin Apothecary, and stopping for a coffee at Naked Soup. I also enjoy picking up food from Roots and Fruits, our local whole foods and green grocer, and cheese from I. J. Mellis, the Cheesemonger. I love going home with a basket of goodies as we are so lucky to have these shops in our community. We also often stop for a refreshment in a local bar, and it's usually Stravaigan on Gibson Street. 

DAY 2 

I love going to the cinema, and I am lucky to have Glasgow Film Theatre only a fifteen-minute walk away from home, so an early film on a Sunday afternoon is a favorite thing to do, and then supper at home, or we are lucky to have some of the best restaurants in Glasgow all within walking distance of home, which include Five March, Gloriosa, Brett, and the Crab Shakk in Finnieston.

How long have you lived in Glasgow, and what brought you here? 

I was born in Glasgow but left when I was in my early twenties. First of all to Newcastle, then seven years in London, and then to Suffolk for thirty years, which I loved, and I still try to get back from time to time. My career was very different to what I am doing now as I worked with children & families and I came back to Glasgow ten years ago and opened Hoos. I love my new life and being a shop owner.

What is it that you particularly enjoy about living and working in this part of Scotland? 

Glasgow is an amazing city and I do feel that coming from the city is an advantage when running a business and understanding the humour, the connections and the history. If you are in the city centre you have to look up to appreciate our amazing architecture. I live in the West End which is a very green space with two parks, one of them our Botanical Gardens. We also have Glasgow University and the Kelvin Art Galleries which is part of all Glaswegians childhood memories and still wonderful to visit. I love how friendly Glaswegians are, and being part of the West End community of shops, restaurants and bars. It's a vibrant place to live for sure.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to explore the city? 

A good introduction would be to hop on an open top bus tour to get an idea of the size of the city and the main places of interest to visit along with information on its history. Also our underground which is known as the Subway was one of the very first in Europe and is an easy way to get around. We even have four underground stations in the West End. Another piece of advice is to have a raincoat as we get lots of rain in the West!

Can you give us a rundown on what Glasgow is like as the seasons change, and in your opinion when is the best time to visit? 

Winter is cold and dark as in all northern countries but of course Glaswegians enjoy cosy bars and good food. Glasgow also has an amazing winter music Festival called Celtic Connections which brings the city alive from mid January with an international celebration of Celtic music. There are more than 300 events across many genres of music happening across the city and the festival brings in lots of international visitors and helps us get through the winter months. Summer is a time when we let our hair down and enjoy our parks and countryside and if the weather is good and the day light is long we all enjoy eating and drinking outside. So it depends what you are looking for, I think any time is a good time!

When you fancy a getaway out of the city, where in Scotland do you like to spend time? 

It has to be Perthshire, which is beautiful at all times of the year. We love to stay at the Grandtully Hotel by Ballintaggart, which is on the Tay and the river is wild and exhilarating to be around. The air smells sweet and there are lovely local walks and even a small golf course, although I am not a golfer I might give it a go one day. It also has an amazing chocolate shop in the village.

Karen's Top Picks

Eat ~ Daytime 

The recently opened Cottonrake Café, which is next door to Hoos . The food is amazing using the best ingredients and there is always a queue but it moves quickly. The breakfasts here are incredible. You must not miss Naked Soup which is a small café that has great soup and bagels during the day and in the evening is a cool bar with a European vibe. It's a favourite with the Hoos team.

Eat ~ Evening 

It has to be either Crab Shakk Botanics or Gloriosa both use the freshest ingredients to offer beautiful plates of food with great service and a fun lively environment. At the Shakk the specials are always the ones to choose and they change every day and at Gloriosa they do the most amazing seasonal menu.

Drink 

The Belle on Great Western Road is a buzzing bar and it has an open fire making it cosy in the winter. Stravaigin on Gibson Street is a Glasgow favourite too, you have to try the Haggis which is also available as a vegetarian option.

Explore/Walks

The Botanic Gardens really are a must to visit and the two Green Houses are a joy, especially the beautiful Kibble Palace . It's free to visit. Also the Kelvin Walkway can be joined at Kelvin Bridge and you can walk along the river into Kelvinside.

Relax 

My favourite thing to do is to have a facial and I am waiting for one of the best practitioners Katie Ann Mitchell Beauty to come back from her maternity leave. Apart from that as I mentioned I love to go to the cinema and also cook for friends. Having two shops makes for a busy life so I really enjoy when I get the chance to have a break.

Activities 

The Barrowlands Ballroom is the best place to see a band in Glasgow. 

Sharamanka Kinetic Theatre has to be seen as it's almost impossible to explain and is based in the oldest part of the city in Trongate. 

The Necropolis is our hilltop cemetery with extravagant mausoleums which overlooks Glasgow Cathedral and you can also visit the oldest house in Glasgow - Provand's Lordship. 

The Templeton Building built by the Templeton family who made carpets in 1888 now houses a brewery and restaurant. It has an amazing facade not to be missed.

Shop 

Niki Jones is a beautiful store offering the best edit of unique homewares. It’s a must visit when in Glasgow. 

Kelvin Apothecary , an amazing shop filled with gorgeous things you won't be able to resist. 

Bam in the Southside offers great coffee and cake and vintage shopping. A great place to find goods by independent makers and artists. 

Good Story is a local store in the West End that offers cool contemporary clothing brands and well made goods for all

Karen’s Top Tips

Glaswegians are very friendly so always ask them for the best places to visit, eat and drink when you are in the city. We love to chat. 

Glasgow has one of the oldest establishments - The University Café - that has remained unaltered since 1918 and it's still run by the original family. It's in the West End on Byres Road and they still make ice cream to its original recipe. 

Glasgow has over 90 parks and gardens and one of the last Bandstands is at Kelvingrove Park in the West End. In the summer it hosts music concerts and seats 2,500. Sister Sledge, Tom Jones and Van Morrison have all played there along with Glasgow Bands like Simple Minds and Primal Scream. The Park gives the concert a beautiful setting enhanced with lighting the trees and the river. It's the highlight of our summer and tickets sell fast.

Follow Hoos on Instagram to keep up to date with what’s going on with Karen and the team at the shops.

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