Nancy Nquist / Profile

Downtown Pioneer
By Kelley Rouse

It was a "warm and fuzzy feeling" that first lured Nancy Nyquist, owner of "Nancy N" to Salisbury's Downtown Plaza. And although the Plaza was going through a slump in 1983, Nancy decided to take the risk and make Salisbury's old downtown the place to setup shop.

Her storefronts have changed through the years and although she's weathered some tough times this sharp business woman is happy she has stayed on the Plaza. "It feels like home" she says.

"It's important to be happy in the place you work." Earlier this year, in "Parallels" and "A Walk on the Finer Side" we visited two new ventures that are putting new life back into Salisbury's Downtown Plaza. Nancy has been what we might call a pioneer in the effort to develop the Plaza's potential. She is delighted to see the Plaza's transformation taking shape into what she calls a "Carriage Shopping" district. Her women's better clothing store, located in the City Center adds greatly to the Plaza's character. It is unique in it's old-fashioned way of doing business with the modern shopper. Nancy bemusedly traces her love for a "real" shopping experience back to when she was seven years old and her mother took her Christmas shopping to Gimbels in downtown Washington. Although she was but a girl, the sales woman took her seriously as a customer and helped young Nancy select a leather belt for her father. She asked Nancy to sit in a "lovely brocade settee" as she held up several belts for her to examine. When the selection was made, the clerk disappeared for a moment and then returned with her belt beautifully gift wrapped. It was because of this experience that Nancy decided what a customer deserves when spending their money. For the romantic, the atmosphere in Nancy's store is like stepping into an Edith Wharton novel where women of New York's high society shop for custom-made dresses, hand crafted hats and a bit of fashion gossip. For the more pragmatic, each line of Nancy N's clothing is carefully researched for style, durability and name. You can find the finest in furs to the best in denim. Alterations are part of the service, so that every dart, hem, or waist line flatters and matches the shape of the customers' body. Plush chairs are arranged for relaxation and time to sip coffee while being shown what's new. Phone calls come in from customers who want to check on a particular size or availablilty of an item. Nancy takes time to treat each customer specially. She says she still feels shy about calling customers at home if something comes in she thinks they may like, but says they tell her "thank you" for taking the time to think of them. It's this attention to the customers' romantic and pragmatic needs that keep them coming back and making the Plaza a special place to be. Nancy's shop, like the art galleries and cafes that are beginning to make a home on the Plaza, contributes to its' emerging charm. And the Plaza is becoming once again, the heart of the City.