Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[Alan H]

Cyd, interestingly, several of our UK customers have purchased scarves or yardage for a table runner...things like that. I figure, that's still great. The more the merrier, and I hope that the scarves fly off of Paul Henry's shelves. I'm not angry or upset about the likeliehood of sparse kilt sales in the UK, just curious. The whole point of the Wildcat Tartan exercise (for me) is to generate awareness. Like I've written several times...if we sell only six yards of tartan, but 50,000 Scots hear about the issue and become aware of it because of press releases and some celebrity trotting out the tartan on TV, then my little project is a huge WIN in my book. Well, we're going to sell something like 200 yards of tartan I think, when all is said and done. That's a lot more than six yards, so we'll see how the "awareness" thing pans out.

Cyd... Jock has pointed out that most Scots own one kilt, if they own one at all. It's likely in the family name tartan, or if not, in something pretty conservative. The exception to that, that I'm personally aware of is the Heavies. Most of those lads own one for "dress-up" and one to wear "on the field". Jock has also mentioned that in his part of the world, were a lad to show up wearing a new kilt NOT in the family name tartan, then that would be noticed. Nobody would SAY anything, because people are polite, but it would register just a wee bit, that the lad had gone and done an odd thing, by purchasing a new and unnecessary kilt. Again, it's not like people would think "badly" of the man, or confront him about it.....just that the extravegence would be quietly noted.

Cyd, regarding the ongoing complaining about horrible tartan tat retailers "polluting" the Royal Mile, I have to say that I think you're spot on. They're businesses plying a trade to make money off of tourists. M-O-N-E-Y. Period. It's nothing more, and nothing less than making money. There's no moral aspect to it. Tourists go to the Royal Mile. Some of them buy things, and some of the stuff that they buy is junk. Well, people come to San Francisco and buy cheap cable car coffee cups, too. Honestly, I think that the good Edinburgh Gentleman and capitalist, Adam Smith would probably approve of the practice of selling goods to make money.