One customer didn’t anticipate family-run hat business Elegance of Perth lasting more than a year when it first opened.
More than three decades later, the Atholl Street business is still going strong.
It is run by Lynda Wilson, her sister Kayti Masson and their mother Evelyn Goodwillie.
They have ensured Elegance of Perth is known as a top Scottish hat store.
Inspiration behind family-run hat firm
Evelyn and Kayti were the founding partners of Elegance of Perth in 1988. Lynda became a partner in 2014.
Lynda explained how Elegance came about: “Kayti and mum decided to go into the business of millinery as mum was a trained milliner and Kayti had the personality to sell.
“Kayti had previously been a hairdresser, but wanted a new career and the challenge of owning and running a business.
“By 1988, hats had taken off in a serious way. They were very much in fashion and for us it was a case of right time right place.
“There were no hat shops or milliners in Perthshire – you could only get a hats or fascinator in a department store or boutique with limited choice.
“Lady Diana was a big influence in fashion at this time and was photographed wearing many hats.”
‘I will give you a year’
Lynda said trading was slow to begin with, and it took time to establish Elegance.
She added: “Steadily, with hard work and dedication, the business grew to where it is today.
“It has become known as one of Scotland’s best hat shops.
“Mum always remembers a man who came in with his wife in the first week and said: ‘I will give you a year!’
“I think some people questioned how can a shop trade only in hats.
“Well, 34 years later, we are still here.”
Covid recovery ‘exceeded expectations’
Despite trading for more than three decades, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Perth firm was “devastating”.
Lynda said: “We were closed right at the start of what should have been a big season – 2020 was being hailed as a bumper year for weddings.
“The start-stop opening and restrictions that Covid brought was extremely difficult to manage.”
But since the easing of restrictions, Lynda said business has been superb.
“The recovery has been swift and has exceeded our expectations.”
Elegance now has thousands of hats in stock, with the shop’s business is predominantly based on weddings.
Lynda said the best part of the job is helping customers put the finishing touch to an outfit.
“Often people come in very stressed and in need of advice.
“Buying a hat is not a regular occurrence. We find that people are out of their comfort zone and can be quite nervous.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to see a customer leave feeling confident and excited about their big day.”
