Stirling’s city centre is constantly evolving, with beloved shops, cafes and restaurants sadly closing their doors and new businesses popping up to take their place.
But some retail and hospitality units seem to be harder to fill than others.
The Courier has carried out a survey of Stirling’s main shopping, eating and drinking streets to get an accurate and up-to-date picture of how many shopfronts are currently vacant.
Where possible, we have elaborated on how long the space has been unoccupied and what the plans appear to be for its future.
Read on to find out which city centre units are empty, broken down by area.
Barnton Street and Viewfield Street
- 107 Barnton Street: Former Betfred betting shop, once a Ladbrokes branch. Planning permission was recently submitted requesting to open a convenience store here. All exterior signage has been removed and it looks like renovations are currently underway inside.
- 87 Barnton Street: Former Beauty Lounge salon, now empty. Signage is still in place.
- 53-55 Barnton Street: Shelter charity shop. Temporarily closed due to relocation to the Thistles shopping centre at the end of 2024, but stock has not been cleared out of Barnton Street premises.
- 45 Barnton Street: Former Malik’s Delight convenience store. Shop is not empty but currently available to let.
- 38 Barnton Street: Former Homewell Care premises, now empty. Signage is still in place. Currently available to let.
- 36 Barnton Street: Former Faith Mission Christian book shop, now empty. Currently up for sale.
- 23-25 Barnton Street: Golden Crown Chinese restaurant, opened in the 1970s and closed in November 2021. Currently up for sale.
- 7 Barnton Street: Former Toni and Guy hair hairdresser, now empty. Currently available to let.
- 3 Barnton Street: Former bar, The Barnton. Closed in 2023. Previously known as Katie’s Bar and Bistro.
- 14 Viewfield Street: Former Fountain chip shop, closed due to owner retirement. Exterior signage has recently been updated, suggesting takeaway could soon reopen.
Goosecroft Road and Maxwell Place
- Unit 1, 94 Goosecroft Road: Empty since building’s construction in 2016. Signs of possible renovation inside, but no exterior signage is in place.
- 52 Maxwell Place: Former barber shop, currently empty. Unit has only ever been occupied for 10 months in total since it was built in 2016.
- 10 Maxwell Place: Former restaurant, now empty and in a poor state both outside and in.
Friars Street
- 41 Friars Street: Former Shawarma Corner restaurant, closed since 2024. Signage is still in place. Once home to La Ciociara Italian restaurant.
- 37 Friars Street: Former Rana’s restaurant. Signage has been removed and there are some possible signs of renovation work being carried out inside.
- 15 Friars Street: Former Vapour Monster vape shop. Signage still in place.
Murray Place
- 73 Murray Place: Former Coral betting shop. Signage still in place. Unit currently up for let.
- 21 Murray Place: Former Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland charity shop, now empty with signage removed. Currently available to let.
- 26 Murray Place: Former Game shop, now empty with signage removed. Currently available to let.
- 15 Murray Place: Former Thomas Cook travel agent, closed in 2019. Signage remains in place, but Teamspace coworking space branding has also been up for some time, though the business never opened. Currently available to let.
- 16 Murray Place: Former Barclays bank, now empty with signage removed.
- 14 Murray Place: Former BHS department store. Closed since 2016. Has been put on the market and sold multiple times in recent history.
- 3-5 Murray Place: Former TUI travel agent. Signage has been removed and renovation work appears to be underway inside. Added to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland in 2022.
King Street and Baker Street
- 23 King Street: Former Ladbrokes, now relocated to Murray Place. Currently available for sale or let.
- 4 Baker Street: Former Gloria’s Cafe, closed in December 2024. Currently empty despite plans for it to become a hairdresser.
- 10 Baker Street: Currently empty.
- 16 Baker Street: Former Lawson’s Bar, previously known as Claymores. Extensive renovation work currently underway inside.
- 37 Baker Street: Former Baker Street Properties and Investment premises. Planning permission has been in place since the start of the year to convert this unit into a dental surgery.
Port Street and Pitt Terrace
- 15 Port Street: Former Bub Tea cafe. Signage has not been removed. Planning permission has been in place since late last year to convert this unit into a Chickaros fast-food restaurant.
- 81 Port Street: Formerly The Pend cafe. Business currently up for sale.
- 73 Port Street: Former Bayne’s bakery, now empty with signage removed. Currently available to let.
Dumbarton Road
- 21 Dumbarton Road: Former Wan Fir The Road restaurant, which opened late in 2024. Previously site of Tutti Pizza. Signage has been removed and a notice in the window suggests the unit is now occupied by Crest Properties.
- 37 Dumbarton Road: Former FrownDocs clinic, now relocated to Allan Park. Currently available for sale or let.
Upper Craigs
- 5-7 Upper Craigs: Former My Dessert House eatery. Closed in 2023. Old signage has been removed and renovation work appears to have happened inside.
- 16 Upper Craigs: Former Alexander Gray butcher. Signage has been removed, revealing original MA Blyth Butcher sign underneath. Renovation appears to be underway, but windows are covered and not much has changed for some time.
- 34 Upper Craigs: Former Stirling Observer office. Signage has been removed.
- 62 Upper Craigs: Former Soupbox meal prep kitchen. Extensive renovation recently carried out inside.
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