Nairn shopping in the twenties and thirties

An article by Hamish Dunbar (first published on the Gurn on Sunday 7th Sep 2008):

Until recently that I spent a holiday in Nairn each year. Whilst walking down High street I could not help but note the changes that had taken place since my childhood days in the twenties and thirties and then recently in A Gurn From Nairn I read that some 80% of local residents travelled either to Inverness or to Forres to do shopping. This made me trawl through my memory and I came up with the following :-

Grocers Cooper’s and Rose Brother’s: Dare I say “upmarket stores” Lipton’s and Wm. Low’s. Chain stores.

In addition to these there were family run smaller shops in Park Street, Harbour Street, on the Brae – the name escapes me - and Bridge Street which catered for most, if not all, other requirements.

Greengrocery Brander’s, Ferguson’s, Davidson’s. “Achie” Michie who, for a time, manhandled a small cart in the streets below St. Ninian’s road.
“Bob” Dunbar from Balnagown who came into the town each year with a cart loaded with bags of “tatties” which he sold to householders.

The Glebe field in King Street (now a housing development) from where one could buy one or more drills of “tatties” for personal use throughout the winter.

Bakers Roddie McKenzie’s (now Asher’s at the top of the High Street); Bakehouse in Rose Street.
Sinclair’s ( ? now Asher’s next to the Town hall); Bakehouse at the rear of the premises.
Asher’s in Bridge Street. Bakehouse next door.
“Dodo” Donalds in King Street. Bakehouse at rear of shop.
Burnett’s in High Street. Their bread, rolls and cakes were imported from Inverness
Fishmongers The Highland Fish Shop in Leopold Street, Haldane’s in High Street

There were ladies and gents tailors and outfitters, shoe shops, haberdashery shops, ironmongers and stationers – all in the plural -
that satisfied most of the townspeople’s needs.

Hamish