New Black Isle High Street shop set to open as ‘stars align’ for family
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Fortrose’s new Harbour Lane shop is the latest addition to the town after “the stars aligned” for a new family on the Black Isle.
Tori Milligan-Gray first opened her shop, Harbour Lane, eight years ago in her home of South Queensferry. As an illustrator herself, she sells her lampshades alongside work from other artists in the shop.
Now Tori is set to open her second Harbour Lane shop on Fortrose’s High Street, with the official opening at 10am on Wednesday (April 10).
Alongside her husband Barry, and toddler Olive, the family moved from Fife to the Highlands last December.
Explaining why the family decided to make the 150-mile move to the Black Isle, Tori said: “I had so many customers saying ‘If you ever open a second shop it should be on the Black Isle’. We had only been on holiday to Muir of Ord once before moving here.
“I’ve posted so many lampshades up here from Queensferry, so I knew I would have a customer base up here!”
With an eight-week-old baby, a toddler and the task of moving house to open a new shop, its certainly been a hectic time for the young family.
Tori said: “It wasn’t all supposed to happen at the same time: the baby, the shop, the house move… everything just sort of happened at once!
“The building needed a bit of work before we could get the shop in place – it was a bit of a mission, it’s been a busy few months!
“This year I will have had my shop in Queensferry for eight years, which I’ve also been running remotely since the move, so even that was a different for us.”
Visitors to the new shop may also get the chance to see Tori illustrating before their eyes.
She said: “There’s a 100 per cent chance you will see me illustrating lampshades when you come into the shop.
“People love being able to see the lampshades being created in front of them, it’s such a nice way of engaging with people – its a good talking point!
“Everyone has been so welcoming and supportive, they seem very excited. News spread very fast! I feel like the stars aligned after so many customers telling us we should have a shop here.
“It feels like a proper community here, we want to help keep the High street alive by bringing something new to the town. There’s so many empty buildings not being used, its refreshing to see something open with a building being cared for.
“I’m quite nervous for the shop opening, but nervous in an excited way! I can’t wait to open those two front doors, and finally let folk to come in and actually see the shop.”
