Take a Sip
By Gilbert West
02 July, 2026
When Lois McCloskey’s department at the Council was restructured it seemed like the perfect time for her to throw her hat into the ring as a business owner and follow her dream of opening a coffee shop.
Now 6 months later Sip is 3 weeks old and building a steady clientele of punters looking for a quality coffee. The family are coffee lovers and would regularly visit Glasgow and Edinburgh in pursuit of the perfect brew. Now they’re on the other side of the counter, serving coffees and striving to maintain that quality they sought out.
That’s no mean feat, but they’ve had great support along the way from their supplier, Thomson’s coffee in Glasgow. I usually judge a coffee shop by its espresso, but Lois’s focus is on filter. The Brazilian sample I tried was fantastic. And so it should be, Thomson’s have been in the game since 1841 - Scotland’s oldest surviving roastery - and they won best UK roaster of 2026.
Sip is definitely a family business. When I visited, her boys were busy doing their work experience. Lois wants to extend that family to grow a wider community of coffee lovers and regulars. Focussing on filter also opens up options to share a coffee. At the moment the plan is to be open Wednesday to Sunday, but check their Instagram for opening days as these vary as they get up to speed. There are even plans to do coffee events like cuppings at the coffee shop.
It's a cosy, just the right size, kinda place with room for 16 and takeaways. It's not just coffee of course and you can also grab locally made pain au chocolat and croissants there.
Where can you find all these delights?
Sip are based in the ever-growing cluster of businesses in The Grainstore. That's 48 Whitesands, Dumfries DG1 2RS, to you and me. They're in good company alongside Home restaurant and Grain cocktails. If you’re the kind of person that values an early morning pre-work coffee, take a stroll along the Whitesands and pop over and take a Sip.
