Edinburgh has transformed many times over the decades, changing the way we socialise, shop and eat.
Back in the 00s, which is a lot further back than it feels, our city had a lot of loved and lost venues.
The old saying states we don't know what we've got until it's gone, which hits home for some of the spots around the city that we took for granted.
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We've put together a list of some of our dearest lost businesses, but let us know if your favourite is missing.
Piercings at Whiplash Trash
Every parents nightmare, a trip to Whiplash Trash was usually made in secret (Image: Google Maps)
If you were a teen in the noughties, it’s quite likely that you popped into Whiplash Trash for a belly button piercing that your mother still doesn’t know about.
A big trend in the 00s was an eyebrow piercing, shoutout to any locals who’ve kept one of those in - keeping the legacy of Whiplash alive.
Aside from questionable piercing choices the shop also sold alternative fashion, as well unique accessories alongside bongs - whatever they’re for.
Rent a movie at Blockbuster
Blockbuster movies on Home Street closed along with the others across the UK (Image: Google Maps)
Long before Netflix and Amazon Prime, a night in required a lot more preparation.
Not only would you have to think about your viewing prior but you’d actually have to leave the house to rent a physical copy of a movie, sometimes on a VHS - it’s unthinkable.
By the end of 2013 all of the UKs Blockbuster stores were closed, the country's most popular video renting store.
In Edinburgh we said goodbye to many Blockbusters, including a spot on Great Junction Street and St Johns Road.
Internet Cafes
Web 13 was one of the first internet cafes to open in the city (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
While computers were on the rise in the 00s, it wasn’t commonplace to have one in every house - and it certainly wasn’t cheap.
The early 00s saw a peak in internet cafes, with Cyberia opening in April 1995 being the first.
Many started to pop up around the city in the late 90s, and survived through into the millenium.
At a time when only 2% of the population had home access to the internet, most cafes would charge around £3 for half an hour of screen time.
The Salon Cafe on West Maitland Street even allowed customers to use the internet while getting their haircut, while the East Everything cafe on Rose Street boasted over 400 seats.
Nights out at Gaia
Gaia also went on to become Stereo, becoming transforming into Silk (Image: Google Maps)
Originally opening in 1997 under the name Jaffacake, Gaia became a popular student haunt in 1999.
If you were looking for the tackiest music possible paired with floors that you had to peel your feet off, Gaia was the spot for you.
One of their more questionable themes was the sh*gtag.
Revelers would write descriptions of what they found attractive and stick them to a board, hoping to pull.
If you wanted to go one step further you could pop down the specific name of someone - in the hopes they’d find it and see the romance in the situation, and immediately fall in love (if only for the night).
The club went on to become Silk, continuing it’s legacy of serving the student demographic - before closing for good to make way for student accommodation in 2018.
A trip to HMV
HMV on Princes Street spread over three floors (Image: Google Maps)
We lost this iconic Princes Street shop in 2016, though we’ll always remember the 3 posters for £9 deal.
The sheer thrill of walking through HMV’s doors to buy the latest Rihanna album (haven’t seen one of those in a while either) or popping in for an iTunes voucher, are some of life’s simple pleasures that Spotify has stolen from us.
In Edinburgh’s HMV it wasn’t just a shopping experience, with CD listening stations upstairs and gamer stations in the basement.
Katie Price even launched one of her books in the Edinburgh shop, and it’s events like this that made the loss hurt even more.
Shopping at the Disney Store
The Princes Street store closed it's doors in the 10s (Image: Yelp)
Overpriced stuffed toys of Mrs Potts from Beauty and the Beast? Yes please.
It’s unclear why the decision was made to rip the majesty of the Disney store from Princes Street, but the Disney outlet at the Gyle lasted slightly longer, closing in 2020.
Every time Disney pumped out another global movie, everything from keyrings to dolls branded with the latest film would flood the store.
Walking through the doors was a magical experience, and right in view was an actual castle which took the whole experience to a new level.
Hailing a cab inside Waverley
No need to even step outside when Waverley offered taxis inside the station (Image: Geograph - David Dixon)
With the rise of Uber, getting a taxi in Edinburgh is no difficulty - but in the early 00s it was much easier to hop off the train and right into a car.
Taxis could drive right into the station, and you never had to wait long until you were speeding towards your destination.
It was decided that the exhaust fumes along with the trains was too much, and much like a cigarette in the pub, those days are long gone.
A round of pool at Diane’s
Diane's Pool Hall was a popular spot for 31 years (Image: Google Maps)
A Haymarket institution, Diane’s closed its doors for good in 2017.
Providing drinks alongside a round of pool, owner Diane McNair had been serving the public for 31 years before closing the bar.
Over the course of the business, the price of a game of pool was never raised - sitting at 20p.
Renowned as the best pool hall in Edinburgh, the building now houses Malones who provide live music as well as sport.
Dancing the night away at Caley Palais/Century 2000/Revolution
Dancers take to the floor in Century 2000 (Image: Edinburgh Live)
The Picture House on Lothian Road started life as the Caley Cinema, before transforming into a music venue.
'I ditched bar work to follow my passion of talking to pets beyond the grave'
It enjoyed several rebrands including Century 2000 and Revolution, depending on your age you may remember it as any of these three.
During its prime, the venue hosted stars including David Bowie and The Smiths.
For a majority of the 00s, the building stood empty before becoming the Picture House in 2008.
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