A Shared Passion

After five years as a family business, White Cart Company’s Kieran Bisland reflects on half a decade of highs, lows and faithfully serving their community.

When you love something, you’ll try your utmost to make it work. And for the Bisland Family, owners of Paisley’s White Cart Company, they’ve spent the last five years turning their bespoke gift shop into a fixture of the town. After pivoting to an online model in the midst of the pandemic, the return of normality has provided an opportunity to celebrate this milestone.

“Initially, it was my mum and dad who decided to give it a go,” Joe and Trisha’s son, Kieran, informed us. “My mum was coming out of teaching and always harboured this dream of having a gift shop, so they just took the leap. Around the same time, I’d moved back to Paisley. I initially went in as a Christmas temp and now I've worked with them ever since. We started off as just a little shop on Glasgow Road, before briefly heading to St Mirren Brae. Now, we’re over the moon with our High Street location, right down to that retro facade outside.”

“It’s certainly interesting working with your parents at times,” Kieran laughed, “but it’s definitely made us closer. It’s nice to spend more time with them. Plus, we all just want to offer the best service that we possibly can.”

When reflecting on the growth of the business, Kieran believes that it’s made possible by their rapport with local artisans, something which he feels is symbolic of where the town is headed in terms of its commerce.

“The shop itself has gone from strength to strength and it’s been so nice to provide an outlet for so many talented local people, particularly artists and crafters. We’ve been taken aback by the amount of people wanting to get involved. We used to have to look for stock but now, artists come to us and it’s great to be trusted as a platform. My parents have always been very patriotically Paisley, so it’s a perfect situation for them.

We always want it to be quirky and independent, a true reflection of the people of Paisley,” Kieran beamed. “Nowadays, it feels like the town is going in an independently driven direction and the more shops like us that open up, the better.”

White Cart Company, 30B High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BZ, 0141 889 9920, whitecartcompany.co.uk