Inside the shop that's more Scottish than Scotland

As a young man preparing to make his way in the world, Mark Birkbeck was given one of a pair of Holland & Holland shotguns by his father, a land agent in the Lake District. While his brother kept the other, the next day Mark sold his for £300. “My grandfather was furious,” says Patrick, Mark’s eldest son. “They were a family heirloom. He called him an idiot and kicked him out of the house.” 

But using this money, Mark was able to start his business. Driving up to Speyside, he would buy and sell wool, sheepskins, horns and pottery from the back of his car, falling in love with the landscape at the same time.

Today that business has grown and evolved to become the House of Bruar, a 100,000 square foot behemoth of a shop set in 11 acres at the foot of the Cairngorms, selling everything from £16,000 paintings of the Highlands to £5.99 smoked salmon. It’s hard to define what the shop is and Patrick, who manages the running of House of Bruar, says he regularly sounds like a “plonker” when he tries to describe his job at parties. When forced, he says House of Bruar is “a retail business selling the best of Scotland in Scotland.” 

So that encompasses a 600-seat restaurant, women’s and men’s clothing departments, homeware, a food hall, an art gallery, a fishing tackle shop, oh and, the most recent addition, a fish and chip shop where you can choose your lobster from a tank and have it grilled, battered, thermadored, whichever you wish.  

Although opened in 1995, the Birkbecks' connection to the area reached far further back. In 1980 Mark had bought a cottage in Speyside and family holidays were spent fishing. “My father would happily fish six days a week,” says Patrick, 44. 

By 1989 Mark, his wife Linda and their four children were based in Scotland and the House of Bruar reflects their passion for the countryside and the outdoors. In the fishing department Mark’s collection of William Hardy reels are displayed, as well as wood carvings of huge Atlantic salmon he caught in Norway. 

Sitting with Patrick and Mark in their design studio, the latter says, “You grew up as my little boy and that’s what we did. We fished and we shot and everything had a season. Rose hips in October. Mushrooms in August.”

Although Mark has taken a back seat from the day to day management of Bruar, he is still fundamental in the design decisions. He and his youngest son, Tom, head up the creative side of the business, designing the collections that are sold in store and online, alongside brands such as Barbour, Ilse Jacobsen and Beretta. 

“What people want has changed, it’s just got more sophisticated. And there are more people wearing it. There are young people wearing Barbour in London who’ve probably never been to the country. Country clothing is functional, it looks nice and it’s not in your face,” says Mark, 69.

As an example he holds up a dark blue brocade full evening skirt reminiscent of Dior’s New Look. “Paired with a cashmere sweater and some pumps, this is perfect for an understated country house evening,” says Mark. 

It’s a holistic view of country life, and while you can buy fancy Duck Down that will see you warmly up Kilimanjaro, that’s not ultimately what House of Bruar is about.

“We’re not fluorescent – we dress people who go up the mountain with their dogs and don’t risk their lives. They don’t want to climb on a crag that’s vertical,” says Mark. 

Those people might include the Duchess of Cornwall, or the Duchess of Rothesay as she’s known north of the border, who visited Bruar last month. 

“We had to cancel a day’s shooting for the Duchess of Rothesay to visit,” laughs Patrick, who was enormously impressed by the Duchess. “Children from the local primary school were outside, and she made sure we took some treats out to them, which was incredibly thoughtful.” 

Given that it took nearly two hours for me to be shown around the huge store, how did they manage to show the Duchess around in one hour? 

“I think she was a little bit overwhelmed, but I think she was keen to come back and do some Christmas shopping,” says Patrick. Balmoral after all is only a 60-mile drive to the Cairngorms. 

Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are the only days the House of Bruar shuts. “We’re traditional, Christmas is about family and being all together.” Which for the Birkbecks means Scotland.  

Although Patrick and Tom’s sisters aren’t involved in the business, that it is still a family concern is vital. “It’s an important part of people believing in what we do. There’s a warm feeling when there’s a family behind it rather than a faceless entity,” says Patrick, whose young son and daughter also model in the catalogue. “It saves money,” he jokes.

But what also makes it possible are the 300 employees that are drawn to Bruar from the surrounding areas. A bus is even subsidised to bring in staff from Perth and they also house 26 employees in cottages. “There just aren’t physically the amount of people needed in the area,” says Patrick.

The best Christmas hampers

Like the people, the products are drawn from all over Scotland. Be it the Aberdeen Angus beef and Morayshire lamb in the butchery to the tweed cloth and plaid, it’s important to the Birkbecks that Bruar represents the best of traditional Scottish industry. 

Knockando Mill in Speyside is just one of the local mills Bruar work with. Established in 1784, it is the oldest continually operating rural mill in the country and has been producing traditional woollen textiles for generations, specialising in sporting tweed. 

Mark and Tom work with mills like Robert Noble in the Borders to produce their own unique plaid. “The colours and patterns are inspired by the stunning beauty of the Scottish countryside,” says Patrick. “We live in the most beautiful part of the world. We try and live the life and we love it.”