Out of the Blue

Dislcaimer: Yes, this is a novel. However I am not out to slander this business but giving a true and objective account of my experience followed by my honest and professional opinion — so no one else has to go through the same ordeal as we did:
I was with my fiancé who was part of a group making use of the rehearsal rooms near OOtB’s café. We went out during the lunch break and he decided he wanted his lunch from Gregg’s. He got a roll and a cup of coffee. I decided I rather liked the look of the soup in the café as we passed it on our way out. So we walked back, and here is where you should keep in mind that my fiancé needs my assistance to eat his food because of disability. So I reach the register and just as I was about to order, I had set down his cup of coffee and the woman who I assume was manager/​owner looks at me and says, EN VERBATUM, that I can not sit and eat in the sitting area of the café because I had a coffee from Gregg’s with me. Needless to say, a perplexed and taken aback look washed over me and we go into a tiff. I left without food and he ate his lunch in the rehearsal room. In a chair. Over his lap.
Being refused the right to sit in and eat a meal I would have spent money on due to «conflict of interest» made me want to click my heels and teleport back to 2016 Edinburgh because I suddenly felt like I was thrown into Soviet Russia. At one point she even complained about the way I looked at her (yes that is what eyes are for) Besides this point, it was not even so much the content of what I was told (as I’m sure that café owner was within a right, however petty it seemed) but the way it was delivered, with such a diminutive tone. I always go by the mantra «It’s not what you say, its how you say it». She was not apologetic whatsoever about the inconvenience caused to me to have to go back out to buy my lunch elsewhere, and this meant not able to sit and eat a meal together with my fiancé — NOR was she sympathetic at the fact I would have had no way of knowing that ahead of time, and totally bashed and vilified me as I stood in her line. It makes me sick to my stomach to think «what if she knew it was his coffee and food?» … Would she still have forbid my fiancé and I from sitting and eating our meals together, and at a table, just because he purchased his somewhere else?
To put the icing on the cake, when I was attempting to defend myself and tell her why thought she was being nonsensical and unreasonable, she got impatient and loudly called out «Look, lady». To which I retorted to not call me «lady» because it was dehumanizing. I heard her say «Sorry» but at this point I was so disgusted I was already walking away to get on with my life, so I wasn’t able to register the sincerity in her apology, if there was any at all. The entire experience was over the top excessive for the circumstance, enfuriating and most of all undeservedly embarrassing. I feel bad because I wanted to be supportive of the establishment that the rehearsal space belonged to, but was never given the chance to because of ridiculous exclusivity principles. I was about to spend 6.50 on a soup meal plus another coffee for myself, but my morals told me not to after this experience and so instead of keeping their business afloat I feel they are making an unjust trade off — real people’s feelings and thoughtful customer service, in exchange for money and exclusivity.
IMHO, that is wrong. I completely get it if someone wants to not purchase anything and sit in — THEN it’s a no brainer to ask them to leave. But I was ready to pay my fair share until this changed my mind. In a perfect world with rational people, I would have bought a soup for lunch, ate with my fiancé, and then throughout the course of our day I likely wouldhave gone back to the café to purchase at least two more coffees, as I am a coffee lover. Now my fiancé nor myself will be spending any money on this place — and he is going to be rehearsing for the next five weeks. So just over a 70 pence coffee at Gregg’s, OOtB’s café lost out on much more money over the next month. I hope they read this and get the insight they so desperately need into what exactly is the effect you have when you have restrictions such as this — that it was bad business, even if you’re trying to stand on the very respectable platform of «support local business». For a coffee? A person’s freedom of choice? It’s prudish and unbecoming. We don’t go into shoe shops and get kicked out because we’re wearing shoes do we? We don’t go into Apple stores and get refused service because we have a Samsung phone, do we?
If you choose to give your business to the café and expect it to be an enjoyable experience, I highly advise you not to frequent it if you have food from anywhere else. Or if you have anyone with you with food or drink from anywhere else. You’ll be held in the same regard as dirt.

Out of the Blue is an old TA drill hall just off Leith Walk, now converted into a local community centre. There’s a big central area that usually houses some sort of art exhibition, there’s a little dance studio, and there are lots of small offices around the sides let to local businesses. And there’s a small café that does reasonable coffee and is quite popular at lunchtimes.
It’s an interesting space and worth remembering about if you’re down this way. The café service could perhaps be faster when they’re busy, but they do a good veggieburger and there are some nice comfy sofas to sit on.
A few years ago they first used it as a Fringe venue and it’s a great space for that. They often have concerts and other small events on at other times. But it’s always worth popping into if you’re in the area to see what’s happening as there’s always something going on, and if you’re lucky (and it’s quiet) it’s a great refuge from the bustle of the city in which to unwind for a while.

I absolutely cannot wait to see what else this place has to offer. After spotting a nondescript sign while strolling along Leith Walk (I think I might have tunnel vision when it comes to the words ‘flea market’), I was delighted to discover that Leith flea market was being held in a mere two days time. Even better was that it was only a five minute walk from my house!
I think Out of the Blue emulates the Leith community spirit. I really got the impression that this place sees a lot of the same people coming through on a regular basis and it’s really hard not to love a place that offers that in such a warm, welcoming way.
The flea market itself was brilliant. Not your usual collection of junk, but a nice mix of vendors selling things like fur coats, books, antique teacups and plates and jewellery. Arriving at about midday, the little café out front was sweet as anything and absolutely packed — always a sign of a good coffee and cake.
The flea market is held the last Saturday of every month from 10am til 3pm and is worth a stroll through. They also hold workshops, special events and classes so it’s probably good to pick up a programme or watch the website. Definitely one of Edinburgh’s best kept secrets!

We all love the independent spirit that exists in Edinburgh. This amazingly used space completely encapsulates everything that I love about the city.
First off, there’s a decent café. It’s a proper market style café with rickety chairs but decent coffee. Expect to trip over dogs and babies, because the community spirit is strong here and everyone will be out!
Moving on, the flea market and art fairs are fantastic. Great if you’re looking for something special for your flat or for a friend. I once managed to get some amazing glass earrings here that my friend loves and (if I do say so myself) set her eyes off beautifully.
Addiitionally, there’s workshops, classes, art studios… everything you want/​need/​could dream of from a community art space that’s well run!
Well done Edinburgh, you’ve done it again!

i’d heard about out of the blue drill hall a few times in terms of a monthly flea market and other local leith events. however, when i went this past friday for a bavarian beer festival i was seriously not impressed.
the venue itself is huge! it’s an excellent space and it’s clear they’ve put a lot of work to refurbish it to a nice standard. the big open hall is probably quite good for a impromptu performance space or a small market with stalls. however, i did find the hall to be incredibly cold although there were heat lamps dotted about to try to warm things up.
the bavarian beer festival was just, meh. i’m not sure if this was organised by the people that run out of the blue but i’m making the assumption that it was as i didn’t see any other organiser listed. there were long tables set up in the middle of the hall giving it a very church supper kind of feel. there was only one location serving food leading to a massive queue since only one person was taking orders. additionally while the food was relatively cheap it was of poor quality and i couldn’t even eat most of it. there were two bavarian beers on offer and they ran out of one of them an hour into the event. the entertainment eventually started and i have to say i was not very entertained but perhaps this was because i was freezing cold and hungry with only beer to try to make things better.
so a very unorganised event that left me not wanting to return to this location for any other event. so yes very much meh i’ve experienced better.

On a glorious spring afternoon the Drill Hall was an almost perfect venue for a pretty special event, where community spoke unto community. Around the main hall were upwards of 20 local groups and organisations who had gathered to share their projects. The many visitors shuffled and meandered from one table to the next, talking to the people who were promoting their ideas and, crucially, deciding how to cast their votes. For this was also a public vote to decide how to distribute some public funding. I say an almost-​perfect venue, it would have been good to have a little more room: there were that many projects and that many visitors.
The venue itself is bright and airy, home to craft studios, community groups, projects and resources. There’s a lively café, stuff for sale and room for hire. I don’t make it down very often so am an observer and an outsider for the most part, but this is clearly a space at the heart of its community, a venue that welcomes one and all.

When my friend suggested a few weeks ago a trip to the Edinburgh Flea market I was shocked. Edinburgh has a flea market?! A review further down this page suggests this might be Edinburgh’s best kept secret, and they’re right. Out of the Blue is fantastic!
The vendors at the market were lovely, and had a great collection of things rather than just appliances and junk. It was easy to haggle (if you’re into such a thing) and everyone was so friendly and outgoing. It would be the best place to sell your things, and the process seemed so easy.
Before we entered the market we had a wee breakfast and tea in the café and it was delightful! Tasty and cheap– the perfect way to start a Saturday.
I will definitely go back to check out what else Out of the Blue has to offer, and highly recommend the flea market. The market happens every last Saturday of the month.

Love this place! Everyones very welcoming and it seems to do everything! Café, artists studios, performances, classes/​workshops, occasional club nights, gigs, book sales, flea markets, veg’ markets, DIY workshops, vintage sales and even wiff waff Wednesday (highly competitive — in a fun way) table tennis! There’s probably more on offer but I’ve just not managed to see it all yet!
I’ve had the fortunate experience to perform here with a dance group (Code Butterfly) a few years ago and we danced all around the space and the audience followed us. There is an amazing network of old tunnels that surround the main hall and maze of staircases that the normal Joe Blogs wouldn’t be able to explore unless they came to the show! Blessed!
That aside, the café is cheap and they serve a lovely brunch at the weekends. There is plenty of local information for groups and community happenings. The perfect place to go to find activities to do or groups to join if you are new to the city. It’s a beautiful, quirky venue in an original Drill Hall. Staff are very helpful and friendly. There is a homely, nourishing, homemade, community feel about the place. Child friendly venue, although at the same time it’s not over-​run with noisy screaming kids. Out Of The Blue’s sister venue is Bongo Club, which explains some of OOTBs ethos. The only downside I’d say about OOTB is it’s a bit chilly, they do try to heat the space with heat lamps etc, but it must be hard to heat such a vast space. Just wrap up warm and grab a hot chocolate and you’ll soon heat up! :)

This might be one of Edinburgh’s best secrets. Tucked out of the way off Leith Walk, you could walk past here a million times and never realise just how wonderful this space is.
I go for the vintage fairs and flea markets. Always excellent. Always find things. Always haggle down on price. Always leave happy.
There are loads of events and things happening here on a regular basis. I think their website keeps everything up to date. It’s worth nosing around — you never know what you might stumble across!
There’s a café too, but I haven’t eaten there. The space feels well used and loved by its visitors. It’s always busy and buzzing and I couldn’t recommend more!

Out of the Blue & Drill Hall Café
Wow! It may have just been the superb cappuccino and kippers and toast I enjoyed with warm sun pouring in through the glass ceiling, but I was awestruck by this place. It’s not just an excellent café and performance venue; there is lots going on here. Dozens of studios with resident artists, dance studios, Edinburgh’s Hack Lab, their occasional craft faire, educational programmes, and outreach. Highly recommended.

Behind a fairly unassuming door you’ve probably walked past a million times before is an Aladdin’s Cave (well…more like warehouse!) of wonders!
Out of the Blue is a light and airy central space surrounded by studios for artisans, actors, architects, designers, pilates and yoga. At it’s heart is a lovely seating area with a café serving tasty dishes, teas and coffees.
Also, on sale are all the gorgeous crafts and art that those lovely artisans produce… a canvas tote bag with Penguins printed on it is my current favourite and I think I’ll be treating myself soon!
This is a great venue for events and they regularly host live music, food markets, flea markets and vintage clothing sales… keep an eye out on their website for upcoming events.

Just got back from OOTB’s Flea Market, what a great event!
I had never heard of the Drill Hall but it seems to be an incredibly active and supportive creative outlet for the artistic community in Edinburgh.
Plenty of events, markets, and individual artists’ spaces.
I’m going to go look up more about it and see what else is going on.
You should check it out!

Have attended many events in the Drill Hall, formerly used by the TA but now converted into studios for artists musicians etc. The have a little café which serves a nice wee selection of food at great value for money. The staff are friendly & helpful.
They contribute a lot to the local area such as Dalmeny St Park etc.
Also a venue for classes of varying interests including bellydancing, ariel skills etc & for craft fairs & art exhibitions. As far as I’m aware you can hire this venu for private functions. It’s a fantastic space & a brilliant concept!

Out of the Blue is primarily an arts and education centre in an old Drill Hall (built in 1901 for the Royal Scots Regiment). It provides studio spaces and rehearsal rooms for artists and also holds exhibitions, concerts and events. It also has a really excellent wee café which really needs to be discovered. The menu is very small but it has a good selection of dishes that are all delicious, and incredibly cheap for what you get. They could add a pound onto everything and it would still be cheap. The only negative is I think it could benefit from having music on as it was very quiet when I was there. It definitely has the potential to be a thriving wee café.