What is a Chandlery?
Rising out of historical necessity, a chandlery was a store that sold nautical parts, gear, and other commodities to sea-bound vessels. The chandlery came into prominence in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when ships were the preferred method of transportation for the lucrative industries of cargo shipping, fishing, and whaling among other areas. The chandlery in its simplest form acted as a storeroom for hoarding supplies of wax and tallow candles, soaps, oils, paints, ropes, as well as other things that sea-bound sailors would need to aid them in their journeys. Mostly around the eighteenth century, owners set up their chandlery along wharves, which made their business mostly about providing lighting on board the ships that passed the wharf. As business expanded due to success in the industries that required maritime transit, the chandlery was able to increase its assortment of inventory and began offering other essential supplies for sea-going vessels. Today, a chandlery is
