One of Edinburgh’s best-known LGBTQIA+ venues is undergoing a £230,000 refurbishment aimed at securing its long-term future. The work at CC Blooms on Greenside Place is being funded by Heineken-owned Star Pubs alongside operators Mitch Stark and Tim Douglas.
The investment will revamp the ground floor bar, introduce a new food and drinks offer, and extend opening hours to cater to increased daytime trade. The refurbishment is scheduled to complete by the end of September with the venue’s lower-ground nightclub and bar, Lab, remaining open throughout.
“It’s been fantastic and we’re just as passionate about CC Blooms today as when we started out all those years ago,” said Mitch. “We see ourselves as custodians and try to move it with the times to keep it relevant and safeguard its future.”
Originally a tenement building dating back to 1798, CC Blooms sits adjacent to the Edinburgh Playhouse. The latest upgrades will include a full exterior repaint, new lighting, gold signage and an alfresco pavement area. Internally, the bar will be completely reworked with a new layout and design that includes velvet seating, marble-topped tables, herringbone flooring and a theatre-inspired back bar.
The venue’s layout will offer flexible zones including a lounge, bar seating, and semi-private spaces for events, and a small late-night dancefloor will also be incorporated at the rear of the venue. Exposed stonework and pillars from the original 18th-century façade, uncovered during a previous renovation, will be retained.
“We’re adjusting CC Blooms accordingly,” said Mitch. “It’ll still be a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community that is welcoming to all and a fantastic place for a great night out, but we’ll be opening earlier and changing up the food to meet new trends and broaden its appeal.”
The new menu will feature hand-stretched pizzas and sharing plates such as nachos, loaded wedges and haggis bon bons. A revised cocktail list will also be introduced.
Mitch and Tim first took over CC Blooms in 2008, having previously operated a pub outside the city. They had been regulars at the venue and saw the opportunity to continue its legacy.
“We owned a pub outside Edinburgh at the time but had been regulars of CC Blooms for years and like many others we loved it,” said Mitch. “It’s always had a brilliant atmosphere, helped by its lovely customers and the casts of shows at the Playhouse who adopt CC Blooms as their local when they’re in the city. We never imagined one day it would be ours. We moved heaven and earth to get it and have never looked back.”
Star Pubs’ operations director for Scotland, Matt Dyson, said, “We’re delighted to be investing in such a high-profile bar and backing Mitch and Tim in their exciting plans. They put their heart and soul into CC Blooms and do everything to a high standard from the entertainment to the service. Thanks to the makeover, CC Blooms will have a distinctive environment to match and new reasons to visit.”
The building’s history remains a point of fascination for the owners. It is believed to have had many uses over time, including as an undertaker’s workshop in the basement. The ground floor is thought to have become a pub in the 1950s or 60s. It was renamed CC Blooms in 1994 after Bette Midler’s character in the film Beaches.
Mitch added, “The original 18th-century facade was exposed when we carried out our last refurbishment in 2012. You can still see the holes on the pillars where the doorbells were and can just make out the numbers for the apartments. When the structure was first revealed it had advertisements for paddle steamers from Leith to London fly-posted on it.”
The pair are now appealing to the public for any historical photos or stories related to the building.