Hollywood star pops into South Queensferry antiques shop

The ‘Blue Lagoon’ star popped into the Sea Kist antiques shop last Saturday, while in Scotland filming a new romantic comedy for Netflix.

Sea Kist owner Jenni Meldrum was impressed by the film star’s kind nature and knowledge of antiques.

She said: “She’s a lovely lady with a great eye for antiques. She had a good look around the shop while we chatted. We were talking antiques and about the current situation with Covid.

“I think she appreciated how hard it is for businesses at this time. We were talking about the changes and I got the impression she likes visiting little independent shops.

“It was great having her in the shop. She was incredibly friendly and we seemed to have a lovely rapport.

“It was fantastic to see her in South Queensferry. I hope she’ll visit again.

“I reckon she likes the town’s small independent shops. And that she could walk about without any concerns. She was entirely by herself.

“I knew she was coming as she had been in touch. She had tried to get into the shop before but we were closed due to lockdown.

“Under the current situation it’s not easy to run the shop. So she got in touch to see when she could visit.”

Brooke is thought to have visited a number of stores in the town, including Joyce Paton’s fashion store.

Sea Kist is no stranger to celebrities. The shop has welcomed a number of stars for filming of the BBC show ‘Antiques Road Trip’.

Jenni added: “Because of the nature of the shop I have been on that show a lot.

“They have visited seven times. And because they have celebrities on we have had Kaye Adams and others.

“One of my favourites was Ricky Grover from Eastenders. That was a lovely visit to the shop. And the regular presenters have always been fantastic when they visit.

“It’s strange, because I appear on the show for a nanosecond, but they are usually here for a whole morning or afternoon.

“It’s great, because I can’t afford that kind of advertising.

“It’s always a delight when they come to the sop. They keep coming back so I must be doing something right!”

Like all independent businesses owners just now Jenni, who has run the shop herself for 20 years, admits life has been difficult at Sea Kist as shops struggle to adapt to life with Covid-19. However, she is looking forward to a brighter future on the internet.

She said: “It’s really tricky just now. Being shut for five months wasn’t clever.

“Yes, there are grants but we don’t know how long this is going to last, and things change so quickly. You can’t make any long-term plans.

“However, I used the lockdown to try to develop more of a presence on the internet. The shop’s website has been revamped.

“I have had to diversify as I can’t rely on people coming into the shop. It’s really small so I can only really have two people together in at one time.

“It’s a challenge. But all the things that I sell have been round the block and come through hard times so we need to make the best of it.

“I’m gobsmacked by the internet, but I’m just going to have to embrace it.

“At the moment I’m really pleased with how it’s going. I hope people keep checking the website and it grows.”