AN ambitious Glasgow Southsider has looked to the past for inspiration and opened a modern-day traditional greengrocer.

Located at 717 Pollokshaws Road in Strathbungo — formerly Bungo Barista — Seven One Seven is the brain child of former climate-change consultant, Sophia Harwood Murday who found herself looking for a new direction at the beginning of lockdown.

The greengrocer’s also offers a deli salad bar and home-made take-away foods, and receives a daily supply from a local baker and even a forager whose seasonal finds have been enthusiastically snapped up by locals keen to experiment in home cooking.

Sophia said: “Like many of us I was questioning everything and looking for a change. I quickly appreciated the importance of neighbourhood and community during lockdown and realised there was nowhere local that offered basic necessities, like eggs, butter, vegetables, without having to travel further afield to a supermarket.

“A former coffee shop became available and I thought it was now or never and I really had nothing to lose. It has been terrific. My neighbours are my customers, and it serves a purpose which is a great feeling in the current climate.

“People are keen to shop locally and I see that as an opportunity for high streets to encourage the return of small independents like me.”

Another attraction of Seven One Seven is the speciality Sholi coffee which Sophia has exclusively sourced from a coffee co-operative in Rwanda.

Sophia adds: “We’ve had great interest in our coffee as, again during lock-down, people have become even more interested in the provenance of food and experimental in cooking at home.

“The challenges for the food industry really are immense but people have been really supportive, taking their business to independents and I’m encouraged that will continue.”

Seven One Seven is open 8am to 4pm, Tuesday to Friday; 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday and closed on a Monday.