Karen Peattie chats to well-known publican Billy Gold, owner of Glasgow institution the Hielan Jessie and a member of the SLTA’s Managing Committee
STORM Doris is doing her best to cause disruption but on a snowy, windy Thursday afternoon there are still plenty of people in the Heilan Jessie, one of the few surviving traditional “Glesga pubs”.
Owner Billy Gold reels off the names of regulars enjoying a late afternoon drink – and they’re not all locals. Indeed, one punter has travelled to the popular pub from Condorrat in Cumbernauld while another has trekked to Glasgow’s East End from Torrance in East Dunbartonshire.
The Hielan Jessie has a loyal band of customers for whom a warm welcome, good banter and relaxed atmosphere are the order of the day – even one like this. Gold helpfully suggests I jump on a number 2 bus to join them. “It’ll bring you straight here from where you live,” he points out.
Now in its 31st year of ownership by the Gold family – Billy has been at the helm for nearly 25 years now having taking over from his father, Bill Gold – the Hielan Jessie is a local institution. But if you’re looking for music, live sport or a game of pool, forget it. There’s no TV, jukebox, pool table or puggy machines here although Billy has relented to one modern concession – karaoke every Friday night.
“We’re not old-fashioned and we have moved with the times,” he stresses. “We’re not an old man’s pub by any stretch of the imagination – on the contrary we’re a female-friendly pub and have an excellent gender mix. We’re all about the chat and anyone – male or female – can come in on their own and find themselves embroiled in conversation very easily.”
Referring to the spiralling costs experienced by operators screening live sport in their premises, Billy says: “I’m glad my dad made the no TV rule his benchmark. If we had something like Sky Sports then had to take it away we’d lose customers – there’s no doubt about it.”
In a week that saw the Scottish Government decide to cap business rates at 12.5% for hospitality and licensed trade businesses for one year, Billy is quick to praise the SLTA and its coalition partners for their sterling campaigning on the contentious issue. “I feel very strongly about the licensed trade and I want to secure its long-term future so when it gets a good result on something like this or some of the many other trials and tribulations thrust upon us by people who don’t have a clue I feel very proud to be part of it,” he says.
“Most of us aren’t just thinking about ourselves – it’s the guy up the road or round the corner too,” Billy goes on. “There are still a lot of really good independents in this industry and we should all be fighting for that.
“When you see the coverage it got in The Herald, the Daily Record and Sunday Post then you know that the SLTA is worth being part of – the industry was aware of the rates problem but the wider public probably wasn’t. So when we and other trade associations combine our clout it sends out a message to the powers that be that we are a serious industry contributing a lot to the economy through tourism and providing jobs.
“Why would anyone want to kill us off? We effectively told them to go home and think again – and they did. The SLTA has proved its worth.”
Billy returns to the tourism issue and says his pub benefits from its proximity to The Barras, the Barrowland concert venue and, of course, historic Glasgow Green which is just a few minutes’ walk away and home to the People’s Palace, one of the city’s most-visited tourist attractions. Its proximity to Celtic FC naturally makes it a popular stopping-off point on match days.
Meanwhile, the Hielan Jessie, housed in a tenement building which itself is of interest to many visitors, boasts a 45-strong collection of prints commissioned from the internationally-renowned Glasgow photographer Oscar Marzaroli before he became famous.
“The trade’s been good to us,” says Billy. “We’ve always been good neighbours and respectful of the fact we’ve got people living around us. We like to give something back to the community. We have a great relationship with our customers and neighbours – and I’m fortunate to have an amazing team of staff.
“It hasn’t always been easy and there will always be challenges but I certainly couldn’t do it without my staff who are worth their weight in gold.”
Billy won the SLTN Unsung Hero Award for 2014 for his community and fundraising work.