Six years ago Laura Scott was preparing to swap the sun of Gran Canaria for the tropical heat of Brisbane in Australia.
Until the chance to own Elgin cafe Ditsy Teacup changed her mind, that is.
Laura was born and raised in the Moray town but first went Down Under in 2005 to see the world.
Careers in health and safety on mines and in insurance followed as well as a short stay in New Zealand.
After a short time in the Canary Islands, Laura, husband Leigh and daughter Abigail were getting ready to move back to Australia.
However, when The Ditsy Teacup in Elgin town centre went on the market Laura couldn’t say no to the opportunity of realising a childhood dream.
The Press and Journal sat down for a coffee in The Ditsy Teacup to ask Laura about why she chose running an Elgin cafe over life in Australia. She talked about:
- How she has built on the tiny cafe’s reputation to make it a go-to destination with freshly baked scones, homemade jam and envious tea selection.
- Why she believes tourists find The Ditsy Teacup easier than Elgin locals.
- How reducing anti-social behaviour has encouraged shoppers to return to town centre.
- The changes Laura would make to Ditsy Teacup if she was starting the business fresh today.
Choosing Elgin cafe dream over Australia
The Ditsy Teacup first opened in Elgin in 2014 and was bought by Laura four years later when it was put up for sale.
After a move to Gran Canaria hadn’t panned out the way they hoped, the family had set their sights on moving back to Australia, where husband Leigh is from originally and their daughter Abigail was born.
However, The Ditsy Teacup going on the market persuaded the family to swap Brisbane for Elgin – temporarily at first.
Laura added: “Even when this place came up for sale we thought we’ll do it for a couple of years and then go home, because we still think of Australia as home.
“If it hadn’t been for this cafe, we would have been back in Australia 100%. Our daughter is still on a waiting list for a school there.”
Six years on though, Laura couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else after fulfilling a childhood dream to run her own cafe.
She said: “It’s the customers. I think that’s so clichéd, but it is the customers. It’s my girls, we all work together, we’ve got such a good team.
“Some of the customers become like family because you see them every day. There’s a real sense of business community too.
“If my parents weren’t here then we might have moved again, but they’re here too.
“My mum comes in and makes the jam. My granda comes in every Wednesday for a coffee. He’s 93 but he’s in every week, so that’s pretty cool.
“I always baked with my granny, and the memories I have tend to centre around food or her. When she passed away the only thing I wanted were her mixing bowls.
“My school best friend told me she remembered me saying I wanted a cafe. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed.”
Why Ditsy Teacup thrives in Elgin town centre
Since opening, Ditsy Teacup has embraced having an identity that sets it apart from other cafes in Elgin town centre.
A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, a tree with white leaves and decorated with lights stands in one corner. Wooden shelves are stacked with homemade jam and tasty cakes and scones fill cabinets on the countertop.
It’s a look that has set it apart from other lunch destinations on the High Street.
There is also one other big difference from coffee shops in the town, which Laura has expanded since taking over.
She said: “For me, it’s a tea shop. So it needs to have a big range of teas or different teas you can’t get anywhere else.
“We make all the cakes and scones her ourselves. We do afternoon teas now, which weren’t done before.
“For me, it just made sense. We’ve got a pretty little shop. Who wouldn’t want to come in and have afternoon tea?
“When you’re in business you need to have a point of difference to differentiate yourself from people around you. And people do come.
“Our coffee is lovely too though. We’ve never changed our coffee supplier, which is Segafredo. Last I heard we were the only stockist north of Aviemore, people definitely come specifically for it.”
Ditsy Teacup focus on homemade cakes, scones and jams
For years, Ditsy Teacup has had an envious reputation in Elgin for its homemade cakes and scones.
A board next to the counter displays the special flavours for the day.
And a recent hire has been cooking up another soaraway hit in the kitchen recently.
Laura said: “I’ve got a new girl who started with me who has moved from Edinburgh. She’s made cinnamon buns before and it’s something I’ve always wanted to offer because nowhere else offers them freshly made.
“So we started making them and they sell out every time we put them on the menu. People pre-order them now, it’s crazy.”
Meanwhile, Laura’s mother Anne Shanks, who was previously long-time manager of Matheson’s on Batchen Street, makes jam that is almost as popular.
Laura said: “Bless her, she’s never made a jar of jam before in her life. Jimmy, who was the father-in-law of (previous owner Diane) made the jam gave my mum the recipe.
“We initially just did the raspberry, but now we do strawberry and sweet chilli too. Sweet chilli is the most popular, without a shadow of a doubt.
“She comes in here and potters away in the kitchen when we’re closed.”
‘Tourists will seek us out but some Elgin customers still don’t know we’re here’
Ditsy Teacup is on Elgin town centre’s Thunderton Place, between the High Street and South Street.
It’s a road that boasts enviable footfall next to TK Maxx and the Batchen Lane multi-storey car park.
Laura enjoys the atmosphere of working alongside other independent businesses like The Pop Shop and Room to Bloom.
But how does it work for attracting trade?
Laura said: “I think the street in itself is good, but you’ve not got the exposure you do on the High Street or Batchen Street. People walk past and don’t know we’re here.
“So even now local people will say ‘I don’t know where you are,’ ‘Where was that again?’
“It’s all relative though. We do have a good local following and tourists will seek us out, but locals also still walk past not knowing we’re here.
“We get a lot of tourists who are walking from the train station to town, as well as college lecturers.
“When we had tables outside in the summer, until the changes in the licensing after Covid, it brought people up because they’d see them and think ‘Oh, what’s up there?’
“If there’s nothing outside, people don’t tend to venture up.”
How Elgin businesses were hit by anti-social behaviour
Businesses in the town centre faced days of disruption in 2022 after a bin fire on Thunderton Place cut internet and phone connections.
It was just one of several incidents in Elgin town centre during the summer, which included the fire at Poundland.
At the time Laura noticed a drop-off of trade, especially on Fridays, as shoppers stayed away from the High Street to avoid potential trouble.
Business owners came together to discuss the situation and plot a way forward as community.
Laura said: “During that time every business felt it. People didn’t want to come into the town centre, people were nervous.
“Particularly on a Friday afternoon we noticed a huge drop-off in customer footfall. When things like that aren’t addressed it has a huge knock-on effect.
“I think it’s different now though. There’s been a massive turnaround, even just in the police policing the double yellow lines outside.
“I know people have had their own frustrations with that but I think that’s had a positive impact. We’ve got four disabled spaces here and more often than not they were being taken up by people without a blue badge.”
What would Laura change at Ditsy Teacup?
After taking over an existing business Laura has been restricted with the changes she could make at Ditsy Teacup.
So, if she was given a blank canvas today for the Elgin cafe, what changes would she make?
She said: “Just make it bigger. More outdoor seating, just more space.
“We turn people away all the time and it’s the worst feeling in the world. We’ve just got six tables, so we’re very tiny.
“I wouldn’t change anything about Elgin. I wish some people weren’t as negative about the town centre and actually came and looked at it. Then, by all means, have a negative opinion if that’s what you still think.
“I think we’ve got so much to offer though that people aren’t aware of. I like being in the town centre, I don’t think it would work anywhere else.”
Read more from Elgin town centre
- Why IT Central is launching range of Elgin merchandise to promote town as part of firm’s expansion
- How Elgin business South Street Electric Tattoo coped with phenomenal 14-month waiting list after opening
- How much did he cost? What’s with the design? Where did the name come from? Everything you need to know about Dandy Lion
- New images of major Elgin Town Hall extension and overhaul revealed as plans submitted
Conversation