Dorothy Hegarty, The CheeseryBack to Dundee Ambassadors

Dorothy is the owner of Dundee's first specialist cheese shop The Cheesery at 9 Exchange Street. She is a proud Dundonian and happy to be flying the flag for independent shopping in the city.
 
I'm definitely a proud Dundonian. I love this city and all that it offers; and have fantastic memories of growing up in and around the City. My Mum would undoubtedly prefer me to say that I'm from ‘the Ferry' but sorry Mum - I'm a Dundonian and proud of it.
 
Dundee means Home Sweet Home! When you've been away for any length of time and you reach the Tay Bridge you know you're back where you belong. You see Dundee stretched out in all its glory on the other side of the river and it really does warm your heart.  Its geographical aspect makes it a very welcoming City - I am proud of its physical vista, its personality and the people that make it this way.

The droll sense of humour in Dundee is unique. The people of the city have an unwavering ability to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and start all over again. Having a fantastic sense of humour is a big part of this and not a day goes by when I don't have a good laugh with a fellow Dundonian.

Dundee is constantly evolving and heading towards boom time again. Like a lot of big Cities, Dundee has lost its traditional industries over the decades like its trademark jute industry, shipbuilding and engineering works. However these have now been replaced by the requirements of the modern age in the guise of medicine, life sciences and computer software development companies. They are all currently leading Dundee onwards and upwards on the world stage and will hopefully continue to do so.
 
Some areas of Dundee could do with a makeover. There are many really interesting architectural buildings in Dundee City Centre but because of longstanding neglect they don't get a second glance.  I think Glasgow has done a great job of tidying up the facades of its interesting buildings and I think Dundee could and should take a leaf out of their book.  We already have a beautiful city it just needs some TLC to reveal its hidden charisma. I welcome the news that there is going to be investment in the city's train station, particularly as this is the first point of call for visitors to the city. I would also like to see the old Tay Hotel restored to a glorious destination. 
 
The Waterfront Development is set to put Dundee on the map. Although it seems like a long time coming it should be something very special, particularly if this includes the V&A in an architecturally inspiring building. The city will undoubtedly become a hot destination for tourist and business travellers alike and I am excited about what this means for the future. 

Dundee's cultural persona is an inspiration. The Rep is a local institution that has earned itself global fame and something we should all be proud of. Not to mention our museums and our much-celebrated Dundee Contemporary Arts. I recently had a customer from down South come into the shop - she was visiting with her daughter who was applying for a place at Dundee University.  She asked me in all sincerity if Dundee had a cinema.  Imagine her surprise when I told her that not only did we have several of these but a purpose-built repertory theatre as well!  ‘Jings', ‘Crivens' and ‘Help Ma Boab' were famous Dundee words that sprang to mind. I happily directed her along to the vicinity of the DCA where I hope she was suitably impressed.  We're definitely not short of culture around these parts!
 
I opened The Cheesery in Dundee in 2008. When I told people my plans to open a specialist cheese shop in the city, quite a few remarked that it was a bit like throwing money down the drain.  They thought that Dundee ‘folk' wouldn't want up market cheese because they already had hundreds of supermarkets to choose from.  I had a hunch however that the people of Dundee would know something tasty when they saw it and welcome something new to the city. I'm glad to say that my hunch was right and we now have a fantastic and loyal customer base keen to support independent traders. I think it's important to have a good mix of multi-national organisations and small individual companies in the city as it's what helps shape our personality and differentiate us from anywhere else. I'm proud to be flying the flag for independent shopping.
 
Dundee's future looks bright. We have such a rich history of invention and innovation and the city is unquestionably in the middle of re-inventing itself once again. I believe it's the best city in Scotland and I'm sure that in the future many people living outside the city will think so too.