Where it all began

On the 14th of February 1936, while the world was still recovering from the Great Depression and King Edward VII had just begun his brief reign, James Mearns took a leap of faith. He’d served in the First World War, worked as a clerk at Richmond Ltd, and spent time at Nelson Nairn Publicity, Aberdeen’s first advertising agency, run by John Nair, who owned a successful printing company in Belmont Street. 

With £500 loans from Aberdeen architect T Scott Sutherland and businessman Lex Davidson, whose interests included coal, shipping, and coal-fired steam lorries, James and his wife Agnes founded Mearns Publicity in Amicable House on Union Street.

Agnes was the driving force, formidable, determined, and clear about what she wanted to build. As demand for their advertising services grew, they expanded into five rooms in Union Row. The loans were paid off before 1939, a testament to how quickly the business gained traction in those early years.