Linda Clifford - Scottish & Irish Merchant

Services Linda Clifford - Scottish & Irish Merchant Offers

Linda Clifford's expertise in Celtic heritage and merchandise has its roots in an unlikely source: a photograph on a record cover.

Linda, who grew up in North Carolina, entered retailing in her early 20s when she took a job with a record store chain. She quickly worked her way up into management roles. One day, while unpacking new inventory, she stumbled across a copy of Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony.

"The cover of the album knocked me off my feet. It was a moody, misty picture of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. I didn't know anything about classical music or Scotland, but it got to me."

She worked in the music business until 1976, at which time she headed north to ski country. She met her husband, John, while she was working at Mount Snow, Vermont. They later moved to Killington.

But she never forgot that moody album cover. "One year, John got a good bonus. It was the first time we were ever in the position to take a nice trip. I said I wanted to go to Scotland." Linda and John fell in love with the country and its people, and have since returned so many times I've lost count.