15/01/2026
My name is John Murdoch-Paul and I'm a barista/furniture designer working out of the Olympia Shopping Arcade. I run Couple O' Mugs and 4eyedimensions.
I was born in Kirkcaldy, moved to Thornton when I was 5 and returned when I started high school and I've been here ever since. I love living in Kirkcaldy, is it perfect? Absolutely not but there's plenty of charm and character here. Whenever I leave Kirkcaldy, I'm always in a rush to get back.
I just love it here, although the high street is a shadow of its formal self, the council need to stop concentrating on the retail parks and help out more.
So my gran was a clippy, do you know what that is? She was a bus conductor essentially, before the drivers started handing out tickets, so she would tell me when she was in her 20s that Kirkcaldy was a hive of activity. Bus loads from Glasgow and Dundee, coming here because we had a great high street, but look at it now because the council won't drop their rates. People cannae afford it, that's how simple it is. They've not changed their rates in over a decade and footfall isn't the same anymore. All the big shops have cleared out, it's just not sustainable anymore, Why would they stay? There's been 5 businesses gone since Christmas too, that's just how it is in Kirkcaldy now and it's sad.
The Olympia is the second oldest of it's kind in Scotland, it was originally a linen works, it became shops after 1898. Almost 10 years ago I got my diploma in Furniture Design and initially I had to convince my wife to let me convert our master bedroom into a workshop so it started there really. Units came up for rent here and I jumped at it, this was April 2016 and the rest is history. I've been everywhere in here, we got first refusal on Public Image too, my wife and my friend, Scott. It was a great investment, my 2 friends have it now. Val had the Black Cat Coffee Shop, and when she gave it up to go back to Uni, I jumped at it because I missed making coffee!
Why go to Costa on the middle of the high street, this used to be Frank's Army Stores too, do you remember that? My pal Ziggy is amazing, he's the joiner, plumber, sparky, you name it. I was able to concentrate on this, but in weeks and 5 days, we rinsed this place out.
I call Couple of Mugs a community coffee shop, everybody is welcome, we're also neuro-friendly, any and all genders are welcome, there's no animosity, no sexism or racism, there's none of that sh*te in my shop, we don't tolerate that here. Kids and adults of all ages, come in and have a chat, get to know us all.
I ask John if there's anything he would like to add, and as if to channel small businesses owners all over Fife and beyond he shouts;
"STOP BUYING HINGS OFF THE INTERNET AND BUY THEM OUT THE SHOPS"
Please support locally owned businesses, the Olympia is a magical place and I'll be back next week. John knew it was "photo day" so he asked his wee one to dress him 😂
