In 1620 James VI granted a charter which made Meigle a free Burgh of Barony, with the privilege of holding weekly markets. Initially markets were held on a Tuesday, but as this clashed with the Alyth market, Meigle market day was changed to Thursday. There was a cattle grading station at Meigle Mart. This ceased to function in 1953.  

Our Meigle Book tells us that in addition to the weekly markets, until the 1890s there were biannual fairs held on the last Wednesday in June and the last Wednesday in October. Stalls would be erected and stall-holders came from “Aberdeen, Stonehaven and all around” to sell all sorts of merchandise. There were also swing-boats, merry-go-rounds, shooting galleries and photo saloons. Everyone enjoyed the “glories” of Meigle Market, some perhaps too much as by nighttime “many of the men-folk were a wee bit happy, and many a stall was knocked over, and a good fight now and again helped to prolong the fun of the fair.” 

An auction mart was built by Messrs Cott and Graham Ltd of Forfar at the end of the 19th century, which carried on a prosperous business for a while with sales every alternate Saturday, but no sales had been held for a long time.

The Ordnance Survey map of 1900 shows the smithy facing The Square. It was in a building, now renovated to a small house, at the corner of Treeback and The Square. 

A second blacksmiths' building along with a fencing company building were later erected along the lane to the north-east of the square. The blacksmith building was later demolished and replaced by a larger building to accommodate the growing use of large steel beams which were being used when new buildings were being erected on farms and other agricultural premises. The lane, formally known as Temple Lane was renamed Smithy Lane. 

The Meigle Gas Light Company Ltd. stood within the grounds of Meigle House on part of the site of the Old Steading which is now the Flour Coffee Shop. The gas works opened in 1862, was wholly owned by local Meigle residents and supplied gas not only to the immediate village but also to Belmont Castle. The remains of the last gas streetlight in Meigle can be seen on the garden wall of Temple Hall in Smithy Lane. 

Lauchlan McIntosh became the works manager in 1870 and remained in post until his retirement 30 years later in 1900 when William Rollo took over role. He was to manage the gas works for well over 30 more years but, in April 1937, the decision was taken to wind up the business. This was due to economic difficulties at a time when electric lighting was becoming the norm. William Rollo died in Meigle Cottage Hospital the following year. 

The remains of the last gas streetlight in Meigle can be seen on the garden wall of Temple Hall in Smithy Lane. 

In the past, Meigle had several shops. 

One of the longest establishments in operation was Dick's. Robert Dick first established a saddlery in the central portion of the Old Bank Building in The Square shortly after the new Royal Bank of Scotland bank building was opened in 1857. A shoemaker's shop also occupied part of the building. 

However, Robert Dick wished to expand his business and had the buildings across the Dundee Road, adjacent to the Kinloch Arms Hotel, built. Dick's Saddlery and ironmongers shop operated from this building for several decades under Robert's son, George Dick. A baker's shop and bakehouse also occupied the new building. 

After the Dick's business passed on to new owners, the garage in Meigle Square was, for a time, operating as a business providing agricultural supplies. This direct competition to the ironmongery shop resulted in the business being sold to the Elphinstone's of Drumkilbo, who ran the Cardean Coffee Shop from the premises.  

A number of shops were located in Wortley Place further up the Dundee Road. The building on the corner of Ardler Road, which had originally been the Angel Inn coaching house, was for many years a butcher's shop with an associated slaughterhouse. The operation was run by Thomas Newton who was raised at the Drumkilbo Tile Works at Harryhill. The slaughterhouse and two adjoining houses were destroyed in a disastrous fire in 1909. Fortunately Thomas Newton was insured and he continued to live there until his death in 1925. Since then the building has been a chip shop, but is now a private house.  

There was also a draper's shop on Wortley Place for many years, and, in the later part of the 19th century, Alexander Guild's grocers and newsagents. The Keelans ran the shop for many years between World War I and II, and it continued to operate as a grocers and tobacconist until it finally closed its doors for the last time in the 1990s. Wortley Place also hosted a cycle shop for a number of years. 

The building adjacent to Temple Hall on the Forfar Road was also a shop for many years. William Gellatly first established a grocer's shop there in 1810. In 1887 the Gellatlys applied for a licence to sell alcohol but even making the application was resisted locally, and then, after an application had been successfully submitted, it was voted against by Sir John Kinloch who just happened to have the only licensed premises in the locality, the Kinloch Arms.

The shop remained in the hands of the Gellatly family until the early years of the 20th century when it passed into the hands of William Milne. Two of William Milne's sons joined the RAF in the Second World War and both were to lose their lives in the conflict. After the war, the premises became Bannerman's decorators before the building became a chip shop, with a TV repair shop above. 

In recent times, the only remaining shop in the village has been the Spar in The Square. However, the building built as a car showroom on the site of the old gas works has housed an antique shop, a craft and curio shop called 'The Quirky Cuckoo' and more recently a deli attached to the Flour Coffee Shop.

The building which houses the Spar was called Commercial Buildings when it was built in 1877 and was specifically designed to host the Meigle branch of the Commercial Bank. Before the end of the century, Commercial Buildings was home to Edward's grocers shop. which was the forerunner of the current Spar enterprise.