Highland cafe that has become an institution for so many
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The pub is known for having its locals who come in for the same pint every night, with each punter having their own chair and preferred spot to set the world to rights in. The ethos behind it all is community, and in Inverness there is a different type of crowd with the same set of rules that has been gracing a city centre café for the past 32 years: meet the Girvans girls.
Six days a week the women queue at the bottom of Stephens Brae, outside Girvans, ready for their cups of coffee and slices of toast. The staff don’t even need to ask what they are having: the bread is already in the toaster by the time they get in. On average each woman has drank around 10,000 cups of coffee at the Inverness institution over the past three decades.
They may come in for the tea and cakes, but at the heart of it, the cafe is a community hub. A place where lives are intertwined, and kind words are spoken.
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One of the women who has religiously been visiting the café for over three decades is Jennifer Matheson. Speaking at Girvans, sat with her breakfast of choice at her regular table, she said: “I’ve been coming in every morning since they opened 32 years ago.
“One day my sister Christie suggested we come in, and we haven’t stopped since! Everyone is just so friendly in here. We like it so much.
“On Saturday I have a bacon roll but the rest of the week I have toast and a coffee. I get up at 6.30am every morning, get the papers and come down here just past 8.30am.”
Jennifer’s sister Christie Matheson now just comes in two days a week on a Tuesday and a Thursday. She comes in for her morning coffee and a blether before going to get her shopping at M&S. She said: “The staff are so friendly here.
“I take a taxi down twice a week and I absolutely love it.”
Their friend Sheila Proudfoot is a “newbie” to the club, having just started coming along after the pandemic. But she's treated no different, and has been welcomed into the fold with arms open wide by the old-timers.
She said: “We all share our joys and sorrows – it really is a special place. I am the baby of the club although I am older! Everyone knows each other’s names and the staff are just fantastic.
“We all look out for each other. If someone isn’t here, then we are finding out where they are to check that they are okay.”
Martina Gow can testify to this account of the group. When her husband was sick and she didn’t appear at the café, the women made it their mission to find out how she was doing. She’s been visiting Girvans every Thursday for 32 years.
Mrs Gow explained: “When my husband passed away last year, I didn’t come in.
“One of the ladies is friends with someone from my church, so she got in touch with them to find out how I was. It was really touching to see the lengths they went to when I didn’t come in for my coffee – it meant a lot.
“Now I’m on my own I really look forward to coming in. I enjoy the companionship and fellowship we have here.
“I feel like I am part of a group and that we look out for and after one another.
“Many things have changed over the years, but the ambience of this place hasn’t. I’ll be coming, as long as I can.”
Another long-timer is Margaret McBride who has been coming in since the day the doors of Girvans opened in 1991. She visits six days a week and comes in with her son at the weekend.
She said: “You don’t mind coming in yourself as you know all the staff. This is my treat! I don’t drink I don’t smoke – so this is what I enjoy!
“We get phone calls if we aren’t here. People look after one another.”
Fiona McNeill is a much-loved member of the group, and she likes to come in for her scone and a white coffee every week.
She said: “The ladies look after me here. I have been coming in for over 30 years, so a long time!
“I queue up outside before it opens, and it is always busy! The member of staff Frances always looks after me.”
One of the group has been coming in with several generations of her family, and is a big fan of the atmosphere at Girvans.
“I feel like I am part of a group and that we look out for and after one another."
Ashley Gunn commented: “I used to come in with my mum and now I come in with my own grandchildren.
“I love all the craic and the banter that we have here, and I’ve really got to know everyone.
“Girvans really is a special place in Inverness. Everyone looks after each other.”
There was one person that was praised throughout all the conversations with the Girvans girls: Frances.
Café manager, Frances Geddes has worked at Girvans for nearly 31 years and is very much one of the reasons the ladies keep on coming back.
Speaking about why she enjoys the job, Mrs Geddes said: “I just love being busy, and I love that everyone keeps coming back after all these years.
“We have great owners, great staff and amazing customers! If I went anywhere else I’d be the new girl and that’s scary!
“30 years is a long time in a job like this, but it suits me. I have my holidays at the same time every year, and I know when my shifts are."
For her, providing a place where people can meet and have connection with one another is particularly important. She explains that during Covid, many felt lost as they had nowhere to go: “It’s nice that people want to come here everyday, and I think it’s good for people.
“During lockdown they missed the communication and they needed to meet again. They have made friends here."
Girvans has had five revamps over the years, but many things have stayed the same. Perhaps the familiarity of the cafe, is what keeps people coming back.
“I used to come in with my mum and now I come in with my own grandchildren."
"A lot of the staff have been here a long time", said Mrs Geddes.
"All the regulars have seen staff become parents, and grow through life. We hope that we can carry on for another 30 years – this is a focal point in Inverness."
Creating a community hub for people is rather simple for Mrs Geddes. It just takes kindness.
She concluded: "I am very much a people person – a smile makes all the difference."
