Judith Glue has been a big name in design for decades in her home islands of Orkney and beyond.

Now “a young” 67 (her words, but she’s correct), she has a flagship store and restaurant with rooms in Kirkwall.

But she has also had a successful shop on Inverness’s Bridge Street for 15 years.

Now, Judith has opened up about starting a business and becoming the success she is today, with all the bumps along the way.

In among some great advice for people starting out in business today, she also tells us the five things that would make a big difference to Inverness.

She believes the key to success is uniqueness.

Judith added: “In our case, about 75% of goods in the shops are either designed by me or produced in Orkney.

“Inverness concentrates on more from the Highlands and Islands than Orkney but has my collection of knitwear.

“The rest is hard work and perseverance.”

Judith Glue: Where it all started

Born in Orkney and an identical twin (Judith’s sister Jane is a well-known artist), Judith started her own business when she was just 18.

She has had her existing shop on Kirkwall’s Broad Street, opposite the cathedral, since 1979.

Judith and her husband David Spence are partners in the business these days.

She has a daughter Annie, son Sam and new grandson Magnus. Annie is a knitwear designer in her own right.

Judith and David also have a black Labrador called Selkie and a sheepdog called Patch, for those who like to know the pet situation.

Juggling two successful businesses separated by about 150 miles and a stretch of water is no mean feat, but it works for Judith.

From Orkney to Edinburgh then Inverness

After starting out in Orkney, Judith made the leap to open two shops on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

She said: “Once the Parliament came in, they trebled the rent and rates so it was time to look for a new location that was cheaper and closer to home for me.”

Inverness fitted the bill, and Judith Glue became a long-term resident of Bridge Street – although she says it was a while to settle.

Judith added: “We opened Inverness 15 years ago. It is a former bank so it was tricky to convert it.

“It did take a while — about seven years, I would say — before Invernessians decided we were going to stay!”

Inverness has about a third of the floorspace and turnover of Orkney

Judith added: “My Orkney shop is the flagship store, but Inverness gives us a chance to reach a much larger audience.

“l design and have my own collection of knitwear made in Orkney for both shops.”

What Inverness needs

Judith Glue is a well-established part of the shopping scene in Inverness.

But what does she think would make a difference to the city?

Judith said: “Our location is very good because it’s near the river and hotels.

“But overall, I’d say Inverness needs more parking close to town. We need better policing in city centre areas that have people hanging about with drug and alcohol problems.”

Cleaning up dirty common areas and keeping empty properties looking smarter, at least from the outside, is also a recommendation.

Judith also thinks landlords could help with this, adding: “They could be encouraged to rent out their empty properties on a short-term basis to encourage start-ups.

“It would be good to have a site with small units that could be promoted for new start-up businesses. That would encourage young folk and more independent shops.”

Among these more practical points, Judith also thinks Inverness could benefit from being a bit more inventive with events.

She thinks more festivals might be the way to go, from music and crafts to themed local food events and even a River Ness Festival.

She added: “Basically, anything that brings people in.”

Future and advice

Judith says the business expanded quite recently with the The Storehouse Restaurant with Rooms in Kirkwall, and added: “We’re always looking at other locations for shops.”

She says if she was starting out again today, she would try to buy property sooner — which is advice she would give to anyone starting out now.

Judith added: “Look at cheaper but good-as-you-can-get locations, not the pedestrian precincts or shopping malls, that’s too expensive.

“If at all possible, buy your own premises.”

More generally, it seems to be about hard work.

She added: “Just work as hard as you can in your 20s and 30s, when you have the most energy.

“It’s important to have a unique selling point in the beginning because it’s hard just to retail other peoples products only.”

I feel like she is someone we should be listening to.