The former Bank of Scotland building on Dunoon’s Argyll Street is set to enter a new phase of its life as two local businesswomen have taken it over.
Dinah MacDonald of Bookpoint and Sue Glover, formerly of Doon the Watter, have taken over the building and – have big plans.
Dinah was a vocal campaigner to keep the bank open and – even after its closure – she hoped the building could be used as a community banking hub.
However there were too many obstacles – which she describes in a letter on Page 10 – so another plan was hatched.
Initially – up until Christmas – the building will serve as an extension of Bookpoint.
Dinah says: “If we have a bit more space in Bookpoint the books will be able to breathe, and customers will be able to see them better.”
There are also plans to expand Bookpoint’s cafe offering, with window table allowing more people to enjoy coffee and cake with a view.
The former Bank Building is directly opposite Bookpoint, and Dinah is already referring to it as ‘the other side’.
She went on: The other side will have all things Scottish. Scottish books, Scottish tourist things, Scottish goods.
“It will also have second-hand books, which we often get asked for. Particularly old books about the Clyde and Glasgow – so we have a very good selection of all of that.”
We asked Dinah why she is doing this in a time when people are tightening their belts.
She responded: “Basically, it’s a beautiful building and we don’t want it to fall down.”
Shortly after the festive season the pop-up shop will close and serious refurbishment of the building will begin, opening again in the spring.
Dinah added: “We will see if the original floor can be saved. We know there are some Victorian tiles there, but we don’t know how damaged they were by the bank.”
After refurbishment, Dinah hopes to work with creatives, community groups and traders to have a space unlike any so far in Dunoon.
Watch this space…
