Dandy Lion is fronting merchandise for business Box Brand that has opened in the St Giles Centre this week.
Love him or hate him, the colourful character is one of the most recognisable faces on the High Street.
Now new St Giles Centre tenant Box Brand is using a stylised drawing of the statue on merchandise being launched to promote Elgin.
The firm is a spin-off from established town centre business IT Central and has opened with an initial three-month lease.
Bosses want to give the custom-printing its own identity from the current computer and tech repair firm on Harrow Inn Close.
Why Dandy Lion and Elgin merchandise?
Lee Midlane has run IT Central in Elgin town centre since 2015 after spotting a gap in the local market to help with tech problems.
Since then, the company has grown from just two employees to the six it has today.
Now the firm has launched Box Brand to offer custom-made clothing, mugs and tumblers for anyone who has a design.
Meanwhile, they have also launched their own range of Elgin merchandise to promote the town to visitors.
Mrs Midlane said: “It’s very different from IT Central, so we wanted to keep them separate.
“You can’t buy anything in Elgin with Elgin written on it as a souvenir, so we think there’s a bit of a gap in the market there.
“When we moved in the manager of Waterstones actually came down to ask if that’s what we’re doing, because he says people will regularly ask him where to buy souvenirs.”
The Elgin merchandise features stylised maps of the town, whisky glasses, the cathedral, saltire flags and Highland cows.
And the latest addition to the Box Brand range is a stylised drawing of Dandy Lion.
Lee said: “I love the concept of Dandy Lion, creating a talking a point. Some people really love it.
“It’s very Elgin too, it’s instantly recognisable for locals.”
Why Box Brand has chosen the St Giles Centre to open
Box Brand has signed an initial three-month lease for a unit on the lower floor of the St Giles Centre.
Exclusive data published by the Press and Journal this month revealed the units were just 54% occupied, a figure that will increase to 58% following the most recent opening.
The unit Box Brand has opened in was most recently Witkowski jewellers, but has been vacant for about four years.
Despite the low occupancy, Lee explained she believed the shopping centre still provided an attractive space for Elgin businesses.
She said: “We initially contacted the centre about doing some of their weekend events, but they offered us this unit on a three-month lease.
“It’s got really good footfall, probably a lot more than people realise with the bus station here.
“It’s also been a lot easier to open temporarily here than it would anywhere else in the town centre.
“All its cost us is £30 for some paint, two days to do it, and we’ve put down some floor tiles that we were gifted.
“If we were to open somewhere else in the town centre, it would cost us a lot more to get ready.”
Read more from Elgin
- Everything you need to know about Dandy Lion: Elgin’s most colourful and divisive resident
- Is Elgin REALLY Scotland’s driest town? I check the facts
- Elgin town centre: Track the empty and occupied units
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