Nairn is now home to its first-ever zero-waste shop as The Highland Weigh opened its doors to the public last weekend.
Located on High Street, The Highland Weigh is aiming to promote sustainability, while also being a social enterprise.
Amanda MacArthur, who grew up in Shropshire but now resides in Inverness, took over the spacious premises on Monday, September 5, and has been working around the clock to transform it.
The business, which opened on Saturday, November 19, is based on one level and boasts a team of eight.
Its opening hours will be 8am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 3pm on Sundays.
Zero-waste meets vegetarian coffee shop
Amanda, who formerly worked at French fast-food chain La Croissanterie in Ireland before becoming a practice nurse specialising in diabetes, says the local community “has been so interested and supportive” in the new brand.
One side of The Highland Weigh is focused on zero-waste shopping.
Here, customers can fill their containers with dry goods like cereal, pasta, rice, beans, coffee, baking ingredients, and so on, as well as cleaning products and toiletries.
“This allows our customers to shop without taking home any single-use plastic,” Amanda added.
“It also reduces food waste as you only buy the exact quantities that you need based on your recipe and the size of your household.
“There are lots of other treats, gifts, and surprises in the store, too, it’s a really engaging way to shop.”
The other side is a vegetarian coffee shop, which Amanda hopes will be used by the community as a hub for meetings, workshops, and pop-up events.
It will serve organic, sustainably sourced coffee from Green Bridge Organics in Findhorn, as well as a great selection of locally produced cakes and bakes and a breakfast and lunch menu.
@thehighlandweigh What a journey it has been! The Highland Weigh – now open in Nairn👋🏻 #zerowaste #plasticfree #milkshake #nairn #StumbleToVictory
All profits from The Highland Weigh will go towards its environmental and social causes.
The business, having spoken with fellow social enterprise Hey Girls – which aims to end period poverty in the UK – will be a pick-up point for free period products in the Nairn area, as well.
Marketplace
Amanda went on to say: “Much of the furniture you will see was bought on Marketplace – the sofa, chairs, and some of the tables – to create a welcoming and interesting space.
“As much as practically possible, we avoided buying anything new.
“Look out for the cool cushions made from up-cycled jeans and also some rather gorgeous plants – some of my own that are coming to work with me.”
One thing that inspired the opening of The Highland Weigh was Amanda’s very own sustainability journey.
The director had started to reduce the amount of plastic brought into her home from the supermarket every week. However, found it challenging with limited options on the shelves.
She said: “I ended up buying items online instead of locally.
“What I wanted was to go somewhere for a browse, sniff the products, try samples and have choices.
“This desire to have a store that offered real plastic-free options became an itch that I really wanted to scratch.
“I went on a bit of a road trip and visited some inspirational stores. This trip really consolidated my thinking – a zero-waste store, but done ‘the Highland way’.”
Community support
Amanda went on to say: “The social enterprise model fits well with our environmental and social aims.
“It’s a great business model that allows us to invest in our environmental causes and our community hub.
“This is a really exciting time for The Highland Weigh team.
“We already feel really welcomed by the community and we want to do them proud.”
Conversation