The renaissance of Leith Walk in Edinburgh is set to continue with the official launch of Drum Property Group’s ‘Red Sandstone’ building – now home to a range of exciting range of new shops, cafes and businesses.
City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cammy Day, formally opened the distinctive two-storey Scottish Art Deco building following a major refurbishment project. Known simply as The Red Sandstone, the building extends from 106 to 154 Leith Walk and provides a range of open-plan first floor business suites housed above a row of shops, cafes, restaurants and a popular bar and arts venue.
The opening of the building is set to capitalise on the renewed interest in Leith Walk following the launch of the new tramline connecting Edinburgh city centre with the port of Leith and Newhaven. All 10 of the street-level retail units have now been fully let, with more than two-thirds of the first-floor office suites occupied by a range of small to medium-sized independent businesses.
The building’s tenants include Hobz Bakery, Cornelius Wines, Middle Eastern street food restaurant Sharawama, vintage clothing store Rhinestone Cowboys, Chorrito Sauce Company, pizzeria San Ciro’s and Zoomo, the E-bike sales and hire service. They join Leith Depot, an established bar, restaurant and music venue which has been based at the location since 2015 and has now signed a new lease expanding the venue and extending its stay at the retail parade.
The Red Sandstone now forms a spectacular gateway to Drum’s £50M transformation of the 2.9-acre Stead’s Place site, which will bring 148 new homes to the rear of the development linking Leith Walk to Pilrig Park when complete next year. Welcoming the opening of The Red Sandstone, Council Leader Cammy Day said: “With the tram service up and running, the regeneration of this section of Leith Walk couldn’t come at a better time. Drum was able to work closely with the community to revise their plans while creating this scheme and the result is a thriving and creative space. The existing occupiers and new units are clearly receiving lots of footfall already, which is great to see.”
