BUSINESS is booming in West Linton.

The village is celebrating a number of local enterprises which were set up during the course of the pandemic.

The Peeblesshire News spoke with some of the business owners about what it’s like working in the area.

Opened by the community, for the community, The Knot is a space which replaced the Red Cross charity shop last year.

The shop offers one side, named The Emporium, for pre-owned goods, whether its clothes – including school uniforms – toys, and books. But it also has a gallery space for local artists and creatives to display and sell their works.

Deb Armstrong, the co-chair of the committee behind The Knot said: “Both sides are doing extremely well. People are really enjoying it.”

And on the new businesses opening in the village, Deb added: “The lovely thing is we can all work hand-in-hand with each other.

“We had a couple of ladies who were visiting and came to see us and were then going to go off and get a cup of coffee.

“So I sent them up to Jordan at The Pyet to get a coffee up there.

“I think all the businesses are going to help each other because the more businesses there are in the village, the more appeal there is.”

Officially opening their new premises in December, The Pyet is another addition to the village.

The cocktail bar and restaurant took over the building vacated by The Old Bakehouse when they moved into The Gordon Arms.

Running previously in a smaller space as The Pyet Deli, Jordan MacFarlane’s businesses has expanded a lot since moving – adding a restaurant and cocktail bar to the deli shop and takeaway service.

“I always had my eye on some sort of move,” said Jordan, 29. “When The Bakehouse building came up for sale in March time last year, we made our move with the intention of keeping our own little business but move into a premise which was much bigger and gave us a kitchen we could work out of and then give us the option of opening the restaurant and cocktail bar through the back.

“We opened on December 1 and it’s been a bit nuts and bonkers – it’s going well.”

He added: “I was born and grew up around this village, I’ve lived here all my life.

“Any main street across the country, whether it’s Peebles, whether it’s wherever, there’s nothing worse than seeing big, empty, commercial units. It’s so sad seeing these things.

“So, it’s great that we’ve moved from down the road but somebody else has moved in but he’s not going to try and do what we’ve done.

“You don’t want to see anything change into house because a small commute village like West Linton, that’s [business] the backbone of the village.

“It’s so good knowing that these places are here, everybody works together and we all pull for that same idea to get West Linton popular with people driving down from Edinburgh or coming up from Peebles.”

And taking over the former deli shop is Jonny Gillespie.

The 27-year-old had been offering a home delivery service in West Linton during the pandemic, as well as holding a stall at the West Linton Market, now, however, he is opening his butcher’s shop in the village.

Gillespie’s Family Butchers is the first butchers in the village for 40 years and is Jonny’s second shop – his first is based in Forth, near where he lives with his family.

And he’s also looking forward to teaming up with local producers and farmers with the new store.

Jonny said: “I’m really excited.

“When we opened our first shop I was a bag of nerves but I’m just excited.

“I’m really glad to see a butcher’s shop open up in a village because usually it’s the opposite, they’re usually closing now so I’m quite excited to open one up there.

“People want to be eating local produce and support local business. It’s a great area and we’re dead excited.”

And over the road, The Fire Side – which has been open in the village for the last 27 years – has been welcoming customers into its newly extended shop.

Jacqui Morrison, who runs the firm, said: “Everybody’s been very complimentary about it [the extension] it’s actually been really useful from the point of view that it’s given people more space to come in and feel after COVID being around. It’s been very peculiar [running in COVID].

“What’s been very positive is people have looked locally again, I felt very lucky that people were really wanting to support local businesses and that meant a lot to us here.”

The businesses all shared their excitement about the growth of business in West Linton and all hope it encourages more people to visit the village.