Couple’s retirement sees closure of Crossgar supermarket

Couple’s retirement sees closure of Crossgar supermarket

2 March 2016

AFTER over four decades in retailing, John and Nanette Gordon are pulling the shutters down at their Mace store in Crossgar for the final time.

For the past 43 years, the husband and wife team have been at the heart of retailing in the village establishing a close rapport with their many loyal customers.

Last Sunday marked the official closure of the Downpatrick Street store the couple have run alongside their son Brian, although the shop will remain open for a few more days to sell off remaining stock.

Originally from the Portaferry area, the couple arrived in Crossgar in 1973 and quickly became part of village life. John and Nanette are well respected and highly thought of and while they are sad to say farewell to customers they regard more as friends, they have no plans to take things easy when they retire.

Very much a family business, Janet McGreevy and Sandra Campbell have been loyal members of staff for 28 and 16 years respectively and they are also sad to be leaving.

In the early days, the store closed for half days on Thursdays and Sundays but John had to move with increasing customer demand and open all the time in line with major retailers.

“We have extended the business three times since we arrived and if we had remained open we would had to have invested heavily again. We believe the time is right to retire and will be sorry to say goodbye to all our customers,” John continued.

“It was a tough decision to decide to retire after all these years, but staying open and ploughing a substantial amount of money into the business did not appeal to us. We would have had to revamp the whole place.”

When John opened in 1973, there was only one other similar shop in the village run by Sammy Donaldson who owned the Spar outlet in Killyleagh Street.

“Sammy would have rung to ask me when I was closing at Christmas and we agreed to close on the same days. You could do that sort of thing in those days, but you couldn’t do it now,” he said.

“When the major retailers started to open seven days a week, smaller shops like this had to do the same to offer customers the same opening hours. We started opening seven days a week in the late 1980s and from Monday to Saturday we opened 6.30am until 9.30pm and 7.30pm until 9.30pm on Sundays.”

John revealed the most time he and Nanette have ever had off together was three days and it is some considerable time since they enjoyed a holiday. While the couple have no plans to take a break once they retire, John said he has many hobbies that will keep him busy, including his love of pigeon racing.

Reflecting on his 43 years in Crossgar, he said he’s thankful for the “powerful support” his business received from local people.

“We have always enjoyed great support and really appreciate it. Customers have been loyal and some of those who shopped here when we first opened still come today. We really look upon the people who come here as friends, not customers,” John continued.

“We have always provided a free delivery service for customers and were among the first stores to do this. While the major retailers now also deliver, they charge customers. Many people now shop on line and the face of retailing has changed so much over 40 years.

“People used to come here and do a weekly shop and you would not have seen them for another seven days. That no longer happens. People seem to do a lot more ‘top up’ shopping and do not buy everything they need at the one time.”

As the end of an era approaches, John said he looks back on his time 

in business with fond memories, thanking customers for all their support. But he did express concern about the impact of all-day parkers leaving their vehicles outside his shop and other business premises along Downpatrick Street.

He added: “We have enjoyed tremendous support and will miss all our regular customers when we close. The store is to let and if we cannot get a tenant we will transform the building into two flats. While the main shop is closing, our son Brian will continue to sell pigeon corn, coal and gas from a store at the rear. 

“Retirement is almost here and while I am looking forward to taking things a little bit easier, it is with mixed feelings. We really enjoyed living and working in the village and while the shop is closing we will be remaining in Crossgar.”