22/05/2026
Part 2!
As much as I'm probably easy to recognise in the town, I'm not someone who is the most comfortable in the spotlight so I was really nervous to a- have my photo all over fb and b- just put a bit of my story out there but if there's one thing I do love talking about it is the shop and my parents, especially my dad!!
He was my hero and I was so lucky to have him as a best friend aswell. I inherited his entire personality but with my mums introverted nature 😂. Ill forever be greatful to have been raised by such wonderful people who have given me such a blessed life and this opportunity to give back to the town that my grandparents and parents adored so much.
My grandparents moved here from Glasgow and not one day did my gran take for granted that we have this beautiful beach and my grandpa was was constantly out golfing or in the amateur musicals and photography clubs and a dozen other things! Both were very active members of the community and we all know dad was always out and about, cowboy boots on and a whisky in hand.
I also love the fact that as a kid, i grew up with a lot of folk whos families also had business and now they've also taken over the riegns! Local business meetings just looks like being in school again n im really proud we've kept these long standing cornerstones of Leven going ❤️
"We're the only jewellers from here to St. Andrews, many of them shut so people who need any kind repairs from the coastal villages will head to me to get it done, which is good for the town as a whole. I'm just trying to keep it going, maintain that level of standard that was built up over the decades.
The community has always been so supportive, when Dad died there was such an outpouring of support. This was almost 6 years ago now and people forget that we're still here, with Dad, he was so well known, people would pop in just to speak to him. I have another job so that reminder that we're still here isn't always around, that's just life I'm afraid, I would be here more but it's not viable. We have our wee corner and that's enough I think. We had a customer actually who'd come from along the coast and asked in another shop if there was a jewellers, only to be told there wasn't. She got back to Elie and was told we were here and made the journey back to come in, so even shops in town don't know I'm here.
Dad was a character, he was born in Congo. He had come over here in his late teens and had been in the Congolese military, he was a fighter pilot and wanted to fly commercial planes and found himself in Perth. He met Mum in Kirkcaldy and when he had to return home, the two of them continued to write to one another and they decided they wanted to be together. He came to Oxford to finalise his pilots license and returned to here. For the first year in the UK he couldn't work due to visa restrictions, when he did he worked in a steel foundry before taking a job in the shop.
Dad loved it here, he loved being a pilot and being in the air. He loved Scottish people, the culture. He found the accents and sayings and phrases funny. He played dominoes every Tuesday, he loved that. He would speak to everybody and anybody and they knew him. He always had the biggest smile on his face and half the time you would say something and you could never tell if he was joking or not, he had a Scottish style dry sense of humour. He had amazing stories as well, you'd have liked him. He was talkative but was never loud and preferred not to be the centre of attention. He was always impeccably dressed in a shirt and tie too, he would wear cowboy boots at night and the most colourful shirts you can imagine. He just accepted everybody for who they were, he made time for people. He's always described as an old school gentleman and he certainly was that.
My mum retired 2 years ago but still comes in to help out between my other job and my dogs. Everybody knows Mum, Doreen from Mastertons. She's just so warm and kind, she was the introvert to my Dad who was very much an extrovert. I couldn't have kept this place open without her, she has so much knowledge about all of this than I ever will.
With the suddeness of Dad dying, there was so much I never had time to ask despite being with him every single dad in that last year of his life, what he didn't teach I observed but him and Mum knew it all and I'm lucky to have her here to help. It was her Mum and Dad who had it before and she wanted to see it continue on even when Dad died. My mum loves her customers and there's a few of them that she's known for decades who always Come back. To her, they're friends, people she's known all their lives and hers.
I'm lucky I have great parents"
Thank you to Janaya for her time that day, after what had happened I wanted to help and was so grateful to hear her story as well as her Dad and Mums story. G Masterton jewellers and gift boutique has been at the heart of our community for more than 125 years, you can support Janaya & Doreen by stopping by or by sharing this story. Thank you ❤️
