Kirkcaldy shop begins new venture with Manchester music legend appearance

Public Image in the town’s Olympia Arcade has operated as an alternative living store since 2017. However, John Murdoch-Paul and John Sullivan, who run the store, have started work on their latest venture, the Couple O’ Mugs cafe. It is located next door to the original store and replaces The Black Cat cafe.

The pair hope to turn the cafe into a live music venue and will welcome their first act when former Inspiral Carpets frontman, Tom Hingley, appears on Saturday, August 19.

They were keen to take over the shop when the Black Cat left in December and the two Johns hope that the gig will throw up further opportunities for the cafe.

John said: “It’s going to expand our opening hours. We’ve already been around the locals what they think and they were all totally for it. We’re all about acoustic players, maybe a piano or a violin, and maybe a stand up comedian - it doesn’t always have to be music. There’s scope for loads there”.

There is a strong community ethos to the cafe, with Murdoch-Paul keen to ensure that where possible, all the food and drink is locally sourced.

He explained: “All our suppliers are locally sourced. That’s everything from our coffee, our milk, We’re even getting takeaway cups from EcoPack Scotland.

“Our whole ethos is keep it local, keep it cheap”.

John Sullivan added: “We’re just trying to keep all the small businesses running. We all hit hard times during Covid so let's all support each other and try and get things back running”.

Murdoch-Paul is also hopeful that the coffee shop will work in tandem with similar spots in the area, encouraging more foot traffic to the area.

He said: “We’re not about that modern business way, we should all be friends. Why can’t we be promoting other local businesses, saying ‘have you been to Number 91?, they sell the same coffee as us but a slightly different blend.’ The more options in the area, the better.”