Glasgow’s oldest bar and restaurant is set to unveil a brand-new dining concept later this month as part of a major £500,000 investment in the historic city centre institution.
Sloans owner and Glasgow entrepreneur, Oli Norman, is transforming the first floor of the 200-year-old space to create The Merchant’s at Sloans, a new standalone experience inspired by the remarkable characters, stories and history that shaped the venue, and city, over the centuries.
Full details of The Merchant’s will be revealed later this month, but the ambitious new concept will combine dining and immersive storytelling to bring its colourful past to life in an entirely new way.
Oli, who also owns brel and Maggie’s Rock ‘n’ Rodeo, said: “Sloans is one of Glasgow’s best-loved institutions and has been part of the fabric of the city for more than 200 years.
“This investment is about celebrating everything that makes it special, while giving people a completely new reason to experience it.
“There are more than two centuries of incredible stories within these walls, and with The Merchant’s we are bringing some of them to life in a way we’ve never done before. We are creating something exciting, unexpected and worthy of such an iconic Glasgow venue.”
The latest investment follows a £300,000 transformation of Sloans last winter, which saw the lane, bar and ballroom transformed into one of Glasgow city centre’s most magical festive destinations.
Dating all the way back to 1797, Sloans has been home to everything from cockfighting and stage coaches in its cobbled lane through to the sold-out Friday night Ceilidh, the Scottish Macaroni Appreciation Club and the venue for thousands of couples getting married in its ballroom.