Laying It On The Line

Kylie Reidtalks to Megan Merino about the creation of Egg & Co and its role in championing local women-led businesses

Tucked away inside Edinburgh’s Waverley Market, just a stone’s throw from Princes Street, is an 11,000 square foot commercial space resembling retail heaven: a market boasting women-led businesses offering everything from ceramics and flowers to books and vintage clothing. This newly opened pop-up is the latest home of Egg & Co.

Since its launch in 2014, Egg & Co’s digital community has grown to over 70,000 across Facebook and Instagram, thanks to the dynamism of its founder Kylie Reid. ‘I was part of a [virtual] group in Glasgow, a small group of women who just shared recommendations, and so when I came to Edinburgh, I figured there would be something similar here,’ Reid recalls. When she realised no such thing had made it to the capital, Edinburgh Gossip Girls (now abbreviated to ‘egg’) was born.

‘I do love personal recommendations, it just saves so much time and legwork. Within months we grew to 5000 people, and businesses were starting to approach me to say “can we work with you?” The wheels in my brain started turning, but it was the death of my dad that was the final push to thinking “you know what? I’m gonna make this a business”.’

This began with the ‘egg card’, which tapped into local business networks to give users access to exclusive events and offers (‘we sold 1000 cards within about an hour and the website crashed!’). Now Egg & Co has evolved into a multichannel networking hub that transcends the digital space, with events about topics from menopause to make-up, and pop-up shops where local artisans can share their creations.

‘While I love online, it’s the offline element that just gives me a buzz,’ Reid admits. ‘I love events and had always thought about a physical home for Egg.’ So imagine her delight when a prime spot became available on George Street at the beginning of 2022. ‘It was the worst time to do anything like that. But I think what worked about the space was that it was colourful, independent, female-led, and it was good news about Edinburgh’s high street.’

Despite its temporary nature, Egg’s first pop-up was a success for both Reid and the local retailers who filled it. ‘Many of them have now gone on and opened up their own shops. We became like an incubator and gave them confidence to go and do their own thing. We’re here now in a much bigger space than George Street, but it’s obviously a very different venue. We just need to try and bring more people in because we stand here and watch them flying up the escalator!’

Egg & Co’s Christmas pop-up runs until Friday 23 December (Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–6pm), featuring an array of local businesses including Fruit Salad Flowers, Boozy Book Club, Torn Vintage, Missa & Kissa and Ruby Glow sex toys. ‘It’s important to just try and keep it evolving and have stuff to talk about,’ adds Reid. ‘There’s no denying it’s a challenging time for retail. But we’re definitely trying to be a positive light in that.’

Egg & Co, Unit 14–22, Waverley Market, Edinburgh, weareegg.co.uk