Owner of Inverness home store glad to be back after lockdown
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Farm and Household Stores in Inverness has expanded over the years and it is an integral part of the local business community.
Transformed from a garage into a new shop before it opened as an ironmongers in November 1976 the long-established independent family business aims to offer everything for the home.
Owner Bill Jack, who is 85 years old, has a keen interest in the history of the area and has seen how it has developed.
He said: “I was born in Inverness and I am interested in the town and its future.”
The previous car dealership was known as James Ferries and Co and it had sold Standard and Triumph cars as well as David Brown tractors.
Mr Jack said: “The garage moved from here to new premises in Harbour Road which left this building as a spare premises. I moved from running an engineering business in Ross-shire and we started up as an ironmonger.”
After finishing his national service he had started an apprenticeship with the Standard Motor Company in Coventry but his mother encouraged him to get some industry experience before “walking into a job” with the family business – he later took over in Millburn Road after the original manager left the business.
The garage was built around 1935 and, following the outbreak of the Second World War, it was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force. Mr Jack said it was not returned to the owner until 1948 and added: “It continued as a garage until before 1976.”
He said they later expanded the range of products on offer. He said: “The building was too big for just ironmongery so we expanded into homewares then, as a result, we had to expand the building.”
Mr Jack said there used to be auction marts on the opposite side of the road and a neighbouring vets had a building behind it which used to be used for stabling horses.
There is also a path in the area called Donkey Brae because they used the animals to transport goods up to the Crown area of the city.
He said now that they had reopened following the lockdown, customers should feel safe enough to shop there. He said: “We have an ‘in’ door and an ‘out’ door. There is plenty of room inside and adequate ventilation.”
Mr Jack said he was pleased with how Inverness BID had supported local businesses throughout the lockdown and beyond and added: “The BID has done a lot for us.”
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