Mind The Gap

Like all the shops that occupy De Courcy’s upstairs, Mind the Gap sells unique/​retro/​funkay ass shizz to the population of Glasgow.
Selling kitschy, whimsical ornaments, photo albums and cards designed by local artists, it’s a good place to rummage for an unusual Christmas present. It is seaped in all things nostalgic, although the vast majority of the items looked like they were new.
What sets it aside from similar shops of this description is its supply of paints and other such crafty wares. There is a whole corner of the store that looks like Miller’s art shop, with shelves bursting with acrylics and paper. For photography enthusiasts, there are Lomography and Holga cameras available to buy, perfect for people who can’t get enough of that lo-​fi, hazy hipstamatic style of picture taking.
I could fill my room with all sort of stuff I don’t need from here and gush over the cameras all day since I am marching for the anti-​21^st century brigade. A lovely shop which also seems to upsell its dog-​in-​residence, who is unfortunately not for sale!

I’ve been asked to do a wee exhibtion of my photos I’ve been taken for Blantyre old Parish Church. It was the weekend and I’m in the West End and I normally go to Hamilton to get my art suppiles for card etc.
I thought eep where on earth I am I going to get card and I needed it for Sunday morning to start putting the display together, Then it dawned on me my handy Unilocal Passport to the West End and there it was, Mind the Gap with a 20% discount. Yay!!!
So I hopped, skipped and jumped to De Courcy’s Arcade. I had only found out about this place through a Unilocal event back in January so I knew exactly where to go. Mind the Gap is located upstairs near the back. It’s a good size and has an amazing choice of art supplies. They also have cool toys, gadgets and cards. If you need a quirky wee birthday present this is the place to go.
They had a good selection of card, so I picked the colours I wanted, got my 20% Unilocal discount, paid and left a happy customer.

While it is advertised as an art store, there’s actually plenty of goodies on display that you can buy even without having a whit of artistic talent. Everything is playful with a slightly thoughtful undertone, making this a great spot to pick up some gifts. Wares range from kooky housewares (penguin corkscrew, anyone?) to absurd vintage (the aforementioned phone box) to artsy foodstuffs (chocolates wrapped in Mucha paintings). Everything is visually delectable, with friendly service and a fun soundtrack to boot.

Like Chris D, I am not an artist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy a browse around arty type stores as there is always more than pens and pencils on offer.
Mind The Gap, on the Upper floor of De Courcys Arcade, is a lovely wee store with all the trimmings you might need to satisfy your creative needs.
I particularly liked the vintage and retro items for sale like the phone box, which costs a pretty penny but would look awesome in my bedroom! The jukebox in the store playing classic music is a nice touch too.
I left with a birthday card for my Doggy, after jumping out of my skin when I felt the shops very own resident pooch brushing up against me, adorable!

Oooo Ooooo Ooooo… cool.
Where in the world did you spring up from good sir? Nestled at the upstairs bit of De Courcy’s arcade, Mind The Gap is an art supply/​gallery/​kids toys/​retro stuff type shop that begs you wander around and go ‘ooooo ooooo ooooo… cool.‘
Now not being an arty type person, i can only guess that the gear in here is decent (can’t see why a shop advertising itself as a galley/​art supply place would have rubbish gear… ramble, ramble…). The retro gear though is as cool as cool things get when you stick em in the fridge:
— old phones… check
— very cool old record players… check
— suit of iron (i shit thee not good sir)… check
Add to all of this coolness, a shop Dog (i know!) and you have a hip joint thats welcoming and fun to nosey around whilst the women folk drop into the lady clothes type stores nearby.
I like? yes i do!