 Known as Aird, when his father purchased Ogilvy's Department Store on Saint Catherine Street in downtown Montreal in 1927, the twenty-year-old Aird Nesbitt took over management of the store.He proved to be a very capable merchandiser whose marketing skills made Ogilvy's one of Montreal's most popular stores.James Aird Nesbitt remained active in the running of the Ogilvy department store until his death in 1985.