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PARTY vibes were in the air on the High Street in Nairn on Saturday as locals and visitors were treated to a bustling summer market.

With businesses spilling out on the street with stalls and vendors from Inverness Farmers Market in attendance, it was a cheerful day out before the downpours arrived in the afternoon.

Celebrations were certainly in full swing for the gift and print shop Vitamin Sea as it marked its first year running.

Shop owner Karen Stuart said about the birthday: "I am really excited, it has taken a lot of hard work to get going while working in a full-time job at the start, but now we are in a really good position and we are really excited.

"I hoped that it would be as popular as it has become when I first started, so I am really gad of where we are now.

"The good thing is that the local customers tend to come in and appreciate us, and they are the most important customers for us and yhey have fgiven us so much support. And that means the world to us."

Mrs Stuart – who spent 20 years working in retail management – said the business came as an opportunity at the right time.

She said: "For a long time I wanted to go into t-shirt printing and we thought we'd open a gift shop along with it. My husband then retired from the police and he really wasn't quite sure which direction he wanted to go, so we just decided to go for it.

"I try to source things that compliment Nairn and are different from what you could find elsewhere – and also things which I would buy myself as a gift.

"I always said I wouldn't sell Highland Cows, but so many people asked for them so I stock some now!"

The business recently won as “Regional Best New Business” at the Scottish Business Awards, and are a runner up in the national finals which will be held in November.

Mrs Stuart has recently left her previous job and is now focussing on the business full-time.

In the future she said they will be focussing on creating a website and on designs and prints.

She said: With the printing we work with a lot of local businesses and groups, such as Highland Yoga collective and Paddle Bliss Nairn - we do on demand rather than they having to buy in bulk, it keeps it local.

"We'd really love to thank our customers for supporting us, we really appreciate it."

Nairn BID manager, Lucy Harding, said: "It was a lovely morning - much better than forecast. The rain came down at about two, which had allowed us at least a bit of a run at it, during which time the Nairn Pipe Band turned out in force, and we were entertained by The Penguins Tuxedo, which is – Nairn Academy's drumming band, and the wonderful Dave Levon who came to celebrate Vitamin Sea's first birthday.

"There were lots of stalls from local charities such as the Rotary and the Inner wheel and many of the shops such as Swansons' and Pat Frasers, and Nickle & Dime, spilled out into the street. We also think many of the more inside spaces benefitted when people ducked in out of the rain.

"There was a great, almost festival-like atmosphere. And certainly, these markets would not happen if it wasn't for Nairn BID – and Inverness Farmers Market of course, who own all the equipment and have the market traders licence.

"The markets take a fair amount of planning and we hope, increase the footfall for all the businesses in the town centre."

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