By Rosalind Erskine

Copyright scotsman

A much-loved Scottish bakery is set to close down due to “economic uncertainty”. Kilted Donut, which was established in 2017 as a stall in Leith market, became so popular for its American-inspired doughnuts with Scottish flavours, that owners Mark Anderson and Lena Wollan opened three shops in Edinburgh. In March this year they announced that they were closing one branch, on Morningside Road, just eight months after it opened, due to “rising costs” and in order to save the other two shops. Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News at the time of the closure, Mr Anderson said: “Sadly, we had to make the decision to close our Morningside location. The rising costs for our ingredients, energy and other bills have seen our costs dramatically increase. Unfortunately, this has coincided with a cost of living increase and we were just not seeing the turnover that we had hoped for. “This year we have also already seen a dramatic drop in tourists and footfall in our Grassmarket location than the same time last year. In order to ensure the Kilted Donut survives we had to close Morningside as it was the location that was bringing in the least amount and was not covering its operating costs.” But now the owners have announced that the business will close. Posting on their social media, they wrote: “After a lot of soul-searching and with heavy hearts, we’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close Kilted Donut. The mix of ongoing economic uncertainty and family health challenges has made it impossible for us to keep going the way we’d hoped. “We are deeply grateful for your support over the years — for every visit, every kind word, and every shared moment. This community has meant the world to us, and we couldn’t have come this far without you. “Thank you for coming along on the journey and making it a special one! We have so many great memories from the past 8 years.” Replies to the post expressed their sadness at the news, with one follower writing: “This is so incredibly sad, but I completely understand. I had to close Salt Café for very similar reasons. Even the most successful businesses in Edinburgh are struggling to make things sustainable, let alone enjoyable, for their owners anymore. It’s relentless—day in, day out. Hard graft. And unless you’ve been in it yourself, it’s impossible to truly understand the strain it puts on you. You should be so proud of what you’ve built. I hope you both take the time for a well-deserved break, some rest, and a chance to refocus on what’s next.” While another added: “Noo 😢 the best donuts, I always made an excuse to go out of my way to go get them.” Known for its fresh homemade artisan donuts, the idea for the bakery started when Mr Anderson, from Castlemilk in Glasgow and Ms Wollan, from Rochester, Southern Minnesota, discovered a doughnut shop – District Donuts – in New Orleans when on honeymoon. This inspired them to start creating their own doughnuts, which they went on to sell at Leith Market before opening their first shop in 2018.