Latest news with #Mercantile
The Herald Scotland
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
The best building in Glasgow, and what we can learn from its tragedy
Someone else who shares my love for it is Colin Drysdale, a photographer and writer who's known for the social media account This Is My Glasgow where he posts pictures of some of the city's finest buildings. Colin has now written a book, Glasgow Uncovered, which features 18 walks round the city and I went out with him the other day to stroll round the St Vincent Street area and talk about the buildings we came across and some of the details I might have missed (there were many). The Mercantile Insurance building was only one of the places we visited but it sticks in my mind not only because I love the look of it but because of the tragedy of the place. One of the details I'd previously missed, which Colin pointed out, is the sculpture of the ship to the right of the door and the letters carved into the sails: IOU. The sculptor Archibald Dawson left the letters there in frustration really because the project hit financial problems and he was never paid for his work. And it gets worse, sadly. The fact Dawson wasn't paid was the start of almost a decade of financial woes for him, and in 1936 his business was taken over by a former apprentice, Jack Mortimer, in lieu of debts. One of the other rather sad features of the building is the pair of statues of a man and woman above the front door: it was Mortimer who sculpted them and he based the figures on Dawson and his wife as a tribute to his ruined mentor. The sadness is in with the stone. The story of the architect, John James Burnet, is also not without unhappiness. Burnet built some extraordinary places, including the Clydeport offices with its great dome and bulls and doric columns, and Charing Cross Mansions, that elegant swoop of apartments saved from the destruction of the M8 by the skin of its teeth. But he had financial problems too, caused in part by trying to fix the foundations of the Mercantile, and when he retired early, he was stressed and troubled and damaged. These are the kind of stories that don't show when you look at a building, or don't show much. Read more The Argyle Street Gap – what does it say about Glasgow? The TV channel that saved us, and heralds the change to come Eurovision 2025: the year they fixed their Israel problem However, the stories of Burnet, and Dawson, and the Mercantile, and some of Burnet's other buildings, can at least point us to a few lessons, the first of which is about protection. Some of Burnet's finest and most famous buildings, including the old Alhambra Theatre on Waterloo Street, have been demolished and replaced with something worse (in the Alhambra's case, crappy offices). But one of the critical points Colin Drysdale made on our walk was that the buildings that are struggling to find tenants are the ugly modern ones, not the old ones because people want to be in one of Glasgow's beautiful classic buildings. So do not demolish. Protect and reuse. There's also a lesson in the way Burnet and other architects of the time worked. As we made our way up St Vincent Street, Colin asked me to turn round and look back down the hill at the buildings and the way they fit in with each other, elegantly maintaining a similar height. One of the reasons for this is that Burnet was part of a network of architects who lived and worked in the city; they were walking the streets every day and talking to each other and knew what their colleagues were doing, so it all held together rather than clashed. It worked. As Colin points out, the problem with a lot of the modern design in Glasgow is it no longer works in the same way and many of the buildings are designed by architects with little or no knowledge of the place. If instead of walking the streets of the city, you're looking at a computer screen in some other place, there's a good chance the buildings you create won't fit in with what's there. There's a good chance it won't work. The Hatrack (Image: Contributed) The ultimate answer is much stricter planning, specifically zones in the city that lay out what is, and isn't, acceptable. The strictest zone needs to be in the centre, where Colin and I did our walk, because that's where the finest buildings are and where the greatest damage can be done. You could then relax the rules as you go further from the centre. Across the river, for example, the big Barclay's development could still be possible because it incorporates what's already there and reflects some of the industrial heritage of the Clyde, and it's not at all bad, all things considered. What would never be acceptable though would be the idea of demolishing buildings such as the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company or anything like it and if you think that's far-fetched, just up from the Mercantile is a bland office building where Greek Thomson's offices once stood. The Thomson buildings were pulled down in the 2000s despite widespread protest. And look around you: it's still happening. The battle to stop it will be won, I think, when more and more people start to appreciate why Glasgow's architecture needs protecting and there's evidence of it happening, thanks in a large part to sites such as Colin's. I would also urge you, next time you're in the city, to take a walk up St Vincent Street and stop at the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company and look for the hidden IOU but mainly just stand back and admire the building. As I said, I think it's the best one in Glasgow. But I would also say that it's only one of the greats, the many greats. The job we've got is to celebrate them, and praise them, and value them, and save them.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mercantile Bank Corporation Announces First Quarter 2025 Results Conference Call and Webcast
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercantile Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: MBWM) will host a conference call and webcast at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, to discuss first quarter 2025 financial results. The Company's first quarter 2025 earnings release will be released before markets open on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, and available in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website, Participants may access the live conference call on April 22, 2025, at 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. CT) by dialing 1-844-868-8844 and requesting the "Mercantile Bank Corporation Call." Please dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the call. The conference call will also be webcast live at An audio archive will be available on the Mercantile Investor Relations website following the call. About Mercantile Bank CorporationBased in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mercantile Bank Corporation is the bank holding company for Mercantile Bank. Mercantile provides financial products and services in a professional and personalized manner designed to make banking easier for businesses, individuals, and governmental units. Distinguished by exceptional service, knowledgeable staff, and a commitment to the communities it serves, Mercantile is one of the largest Michigan-based banks with assets of approximately $6.0 billion. Mercantile Bank Corporation's common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "MBWM." For more information about Mercantile, visit and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) @MercBank, and LinkedIn @merc-bank. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Mercantile Bank Corporation Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
22-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
A new Alex Seidel and a new Mercantile
Alex Seidel is back in the kitchen. And the James Beard Award-winning chef says he is having fun again. Why it matters: How he whittled down his Denver restaurant empire to focus on what he loves is a study in how the city's food scene grew fast, slid backward and left top chefs like Seidel imagining a new future. State of play: Seidel, 52, closed his farm in Larkspur in 2021 — the first step on what he called "a personal journey" back to his roots, he told BusinessDen in a recent interview. Last August, he sold his majority stake in Mercantile — where won his 2018 Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest — to Sage Hospitality. And he closed his Denver landmark restaurant, Fruition, in January. What he's saying: "I wasn't having fun worrying about what new legislation was going to come out. I don't have fun going to the mayor's office and talking about business," he told BusinessDen. "I like to be in my restaurant working with my people and creating things. … And I got so far away from that." The latest: Mercantile — where Seidel still owns a 35% stake — reopened after a six-week closure and $500,000 renovation to its Union Station space. It now features a spacious bar and cafe as well as a private dining room. The menu has evolved from its market concept and will change seasonally. Lunch is expanded to include counter service and a $35, two-course meal. The big picture: Seidel is not the only prominent name to shed pieces of his restaurant portfolio post-pandemic. The closure of Fruition, his first restaurant, was not solely driven by economics, he says, and his other properties — three Chook Chicken locations and Fudmill, a Denver bakery — are doing well.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
2 suspects wanted for credit card theft, thousands worth of damages, stolen property in Orange County
Police are searching for two suspects who broke into parked cars and went on a shopping spree using stolen credit cards in Orange County. The pair is accused of breaking into two vehicles inside a parking structure at Main Street and Mercantile in Irvine. They took the victims' belongings, access cards and credit cards, Irvine police said. They used the stolen cards and went on a shopping spree, making over $2,581 in fraudulent charges. They're also accused of committing $1,400 in damages and stealing around $5,472 worth of property. Surveillance images of the male and female suspects were released by police in hopes the public may recognize them. The female suspect has distinct tattoos of the ghost dog 'Zero' from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' film, a jack-o-lantern, and a pawprint with the name 'Bella' on her right arm. Anyone who recognizes the pair or has information on the case is asked to email amena@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Tribune
07-03-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain's air conditioner imports surge 50% amid rising demand
Bahrain imported 10,000 air conditioners in January, spending BD2 million — a sharp rise from the 4,000 units brought in last year for BD1.4 million. The jump of more than 50 per cent comes as demand grows, driven by an expanding construction sector, government-backed projects, and a shift towards energy-saving models. Market research firm Mercantile expects this trend to continue, forecasting steady growth of around 3 per cent a year until 2028. Factor The push for bigger infrastructure and tourism-related developments is seen as a key factor. As more buildings go up, demand for cooling follows. The report notes that ongoing work to develop smart cities, tied to long-term economic plans, is also adding pressure to the market. Hotels, shopping centres, airports, and sports venues are expanding, encouraged by government spending. Effect With more tourists arriving, there is also a knock-on effect, as builders respond to calls for extra capacity. Technology is playing a part, with internet-linked air conditioners becoming more common. Manufacturers are adding automation, making systems easier to control and adjust remotely. Features such as real-time tracking, air filtering, and energy-saving settings are now standard in many models. Concerns Concerns over carbon emissions are also shifting buyers towards more efficient cooling systems. The report points to a growing awareness of air quality, with both households and businesses looking for ways to cut power use without giving up comfort. This is pushing manufacturers to increase production of systems that meet stricter environmental standards. Popular Split-unit air conditioners, in particular, are becoming more popular, partly due to their ease of installation and maintenance. Their ability to cool spaces efficiently while using less power makes them an attractive choice for many buyers. This shift in preferences is shaping the market, with suppliers adapting to meet demand.
