As soon as Glow Arts viewed a potential office space in the Barras Art and Design Centre, it was clear that this was not just going to be just a space to store files and send emails from. It is situated right in the heart of the Barras Market and within the first month they had their first cosy gig for an American trio that had the final date of their tour cancelled with an audience of 12 and some amazing music. So it isn’t so much of a leap to also use it as a pop up music-gift shop specialising in Scottish Folk and Jazz.
The space is on two floors, with the Glow Arts office on the mezzanine level and a multi-purpose space on the ground floor which has been used for meetings, training sessions, workshops and gigs. It is situated within the vibrant Barras Art and Design Centre which is home to other creative companies such as Obscure Couture, newly established record label ‘First Run Records’, True TV, Glasgow Furniture Collective to name a few.
The idea for establishing a pop-up shop that will be open on Saturday and Sundays 10-4pm while the world famous Barras Market came from firstly the fact that it is almost impossible to find good quality Scottish folk or jazz music stocked in Glasgow’s record stores and knowing so many musicians with stacks of CDs sitting in their homes. And secondly the desire to contribute to the Barras Market community to encourage more people to support local businesses.
Glow Arts founder/ manager explains,
‘As soon as I seen the space I knew that it had so much more potential and I loved the fact that it was in the middle of the Barras, a place that I grew up coming to most Sundays with my granny. The aim of the shop is to create a space to showcase the best in Scottish music and crafts. We’ll be stocking mainly folk and jazz CDs, LPs, books etc. as well as Scottish makers with a range of textiles, jewellery and stationary from Rhubarb and Ginger Textiles, Hole in my Pocket, Bonnie Bling Jewellery and photographer Louise Bichan who will also be the first artists to feature on our exhibition wall. We hope to encourage more people to shop locally and come down to the Barras by providing something a little bit different from other retailers in the area’
Glow Arts opened to the public on Saturday 15th November 10am, the Barras Art and Design Centre, Moncur Street the Barras Market alongside an Exhibition by photographer and musician Louise Bichan.