A widowed mother of eight with no business experience, Providence native Nancy McAdams opened Anchor Travel Agency in June 1977.
At the time, she had been working a paper route and selling Avon cosmetics products – “all the little things you can do to save money” – to support her large family.
As a child, McAdams dreamt of a career as a flight attendant. Prior to opening the Pawtucket-based shop she enrolled in a 10-week travel course at Providence College.
Forty years later, McAdams is still involved with the day-to-day operations of the travel agency, arriving by 8:30 a.m. and leaving at 5 p.m. Initially, she said, “I gave it five years … a fair amount of time” for a new business to succeed or fail.
“Not being a businesswoman, but a homemaker, I didn’t have much confidence in myself, but we’ve had great customers and help over the years,” said McAdams. She credits the success of the family-owned business to the support she receives from family and customers.
For the first 12 years of business the agency was located on Prospect Street and Beverage Hill Avenue in Pawtucket, before moving to its current location in 1989.
In the digital era, when more and more of her customers are turning to the internet to book their travel plans, McAdams knows she has lost some business to behemoth travel sites. For her, ensuring survival of the independent agency relies on the “personal attention” of an agent who knows the customer and their plans.
“If you’re at the airport and you’re stuck, you have someone you call. That personal touch is very important as far as I’m concerned,” she said.
While she prefers prospective customers research travel options online before contacting Anchor, McAdams said she can book their trip for the same price advertised online – except for a surcharge on airline tickets.
“It broke my heart to have to charge my customers,” said McAdams of the now $20 charge per ticket she implemented once airline companies stopped awarding commissions.
The veteran travel agent added: “If we do packages or book a cruise, we get a commission and I don’t want to tack on any more.”
McAdams said one persistent challenge for the company has been cash flow.
“Years ago, there were people that would just pay a deposit, [whereas] today you have to pay everything upfront. It’s important to have that money coming in,” to float expenses, she said.
Looking back over 40 years in business, McAdams said her favorite destinations include annual pilgrimages to beaches on the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as Fiji, Bali, Indonesia and Italy.
“There are a lot of places I have not been to yet and at the age I am, I’m not sure how much more I will venture out to do those really exotic trips,” she said.
However, retirement is not on McAdams’ mind. In the coming years, she hopes to increase business within the current footprint, but not become too big.
OWNER: Nancy McAdams
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Travel agency
LOCATION: 591 Beverage Hill Ave. #1, Pawtucket
EMPLOYEES: Three full time
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1977
ANNUAL SALES: $1M-$1.75M
