Nancy Blacks: Serving the community since 1965
Nancy Blacks has been serving the boating and outdoor needs of Oban since 1965, and owners Karina and Sean Jameson are celebrating ve years of carrying on the tradition with their trademark friendly service and industry expertise.
‘Nancy Blacks is not a typical chandlery,’ said Sean. ‘ We welcome individual customer orders and are always happy to make the best deal for our customers. We stock a wide range of boat maintenance, safety and navigation equipment, camping gear, as well as quality sailing waterproofs and footwear. We take much care in choosing what we stock and are always exploring new suppliers to keep our customers excited and to provide products that they like as well as need.’
Sean has been involved with water sports his entire life and his family has a long tradition of sailing. Having spent 10 years in Greece running a windsur ng centre, he gained experience as a coach and manager. The couple lived on Scotland’s east coast for six years before taking over as Nancy Blacks’ third owners in 2012. They live in Taynuilt with their three children, Rosie, Maja and Charlie.
‘It is much more than just a job,’ shared Karina. ‘ We have made our home here, we have made great friends and we fell in love in this part of the world.’
The new face of their clothing department, Coastal, shows that Nancy Blacks is not only about boats and sailing.
‘Coastal clothing and accessories is all about bringing the latest fashion to Oban and the West Coast,’ Karina said. ‘As well as classic clothing brands, we are constantly looking for new, quirky designs and original patterns, from jackets to footwear. Our bestselling waterproof brand, Didriksons, is much loved and you can see it all over the streets of Argyll.It is a great pleasure to see people wearing clothes from our store.’
New for 2017 is the introduction of dancewear. Nancy Blacks now stocks ballet shoes, tights and cardigans, and they hope to expand the range in the near future.
‘ We really appreciate our loyal customers who pop in every now and then to check what’s new and our friendly sta are always there to help.’
The Jamesons are always adding new products and welcome requests and feedback from their customers. ‘Please let us know how we are doing, and what you would like us to stock in the future,’ Karina urged. ‘Being based on West Coast of Scotland, as many people know, we often pay extra for postage; however our online store, www.nancyblacks.co.uk, offers very competitive deals for our customers in the Highlands and Islands.’
Their devoted clientele have spoken, and Nancy Blacks has been short listed as a nalist for the Scottish Retail Awards in the Fashion and Accessories category. Karina said, ‘We would like to thank our wonderful customers for the nominations!’
Drop in to say hello and browse the latest in equipment, gear and spring fashions at Nancy Blacks and Coastal, Oban’s premier chandlery and outdoor shop at 18 Argyll Square.