Business / Noost to bring boost to the street as bar reopens
LERWICK bar The Noost has reopened after undergoing a significant makeover.
The Commercial Street pub opened its doors on Thursday evening under new ownership after closing up in 2016.
At the helm of the new Noost is Duncan Clubb and Rachel McDill, with the bar currently open seven days a week, 12pm to 1am.
Shetland News was given a look in the pub on Tuesday, and it is fair to say the feel inside is a far cry from the Noost of old.
The sleek bar is longer, giving a more open feel, and the decor and seating is perhaps something you would find more in Glasgow’s West End than in Shetland.
But there are a host of local touches dotted throughout the building, including memorabilia Clubb has collected over the years.
For instance the flooring is from the gym hall at the former central school on King Harald Street, while there is a sign from ex camera and framing shop Bayes and pews from old churches – but there are many more nuggets to discover too.
Only the top floor is open for now, although people can still access the property from Harrison Square.
Work got underway on the project back in 2023.
McDill described it as a “relief” to get to the stage of opening – with excitement in the air too.
“We’ve just tried to make something we hope people will enjoy,” she said.
With coffee and cocktails to be added soon, the hope is that it would attract people for a Tuesday afternoon visit as much as a Friday night spree.
Clubb said the couple had previously considered trying a bar venture, and the Noost opportunity presented itself after the pair returned to Shetland in 2017 after living in Glasgow.
“We have had real community support,” he added.
The centrally located property has a long history as a merchant’s building.
It is thought to have turned into a cafe in the early 1970s, before it was changed into a pub.
There is a small stage area at the back of the top floor, with live music a possibility, while the bar is set to be dog friendly too.
As the doors are opened for the first time, the hope now is that a reopened Noost will help to provide a boost to Commercial Street.
Clubb believes it is a case of “the more the merrier” for the hospitality sector, given than people will often visit more than one bar on a night out.
Regarding the history of the building, archivist Brian Smith said grocer William Smith was in the premises in 1900, with the shop called Lang White Smith’s.
“Some of his successors, grocers and licensed spirits dealers, were James Herculson and later W.A. Robertson & Son,” he added, with Da Noost following.
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