Farewell to queen of retail
The queen of retail in Ayr’s Newmarket Street has finally called it a day after almost seven decades.
Traders marked the end of an era this week as Jean Ingram brought down the curtain on 68 years of serving customers in the town.
Jean, 83, told the Post : “I was always very lucky in having loyal customers and I still have until the end but I began to notice a real difference in trade last year. “I once saw Newmarket Street described in the Ayrshire Post as the jewel in Ayr’s crown and I was always proud of that but I know the time is now right to go.”
Fellow traders rallied to bid a fond farewell as Jean bowed out on Friday.
Nino Pajovic, of Cafe Le Monde, paid tribute to Jean.
He said: “She is an institution and was always so welcoming to us when we joined the street.”
Traders marked the end of an era this week as Ayr’s godmother of retail finally shut up shop.
Jean Ingram brought down the curtain on 68 years of serving customers in the town.
And those she left behind said there will never be another like her.
Jean, 83, took her first steps in retail at the age of just 15 after leaving Ayr Grammar.
Best known for her Brass Hopper and Table Topper outlets, she has ruled with an iron rod of respect down the years.
While husband, Alex, grabbed the headlines as an Ayr United legend, Jean became best known as the woman with all the answers for gift hunters in the town.
But even she admits the tight grip of the modern day High Street has eventually caught up on her wily ways.
She said: “I suppose the writing has been on the wall for a while now.
“Shopping habits have changed and a lot of Ayr has been left behind.
“I was always very lucky in having loyal customers and I still have until the end but I began to notice a real difference in trade last year.
“It got to the stage where I thought ‘ I’m about to become a very busy fool trying to make this work’.’’
Jean has long been revered in Newmarket Street and Queen’s Court, where she has traded for the last four decades.
Her businesses have been the go- to stops for shoppers in the town down the years.
And she said: “I can have no regrets.
“I once saw Newmarket Street described in the Ayrshire Post as the jewel in Ayr’s crown and I was always proud of that but I know the time is now right to go.
“When you see the likes of Watt Brothers failing to make it work you know the game is up.
“If shopping in the town is to flourish then there needs to be a rethink and a more joined- up approach with the council.”
Fellow traders rallied to bid a fond farewell as Jean bowed out on Friday.
Nino and Karen Pajovic, who run nearby Cafe Le Monde, organised a handover of flowers from neighbours.
Nino said: “Jean is an institution and was always so welcoming to us when we joined the street.”
Karen added: “There will never be another like her and to trade for as long as she has is truly amazing.”
Jim McSherry, landlord at Newmarket Street’s Wee Windaes pub, said: “Jean was the driving force behind everything in this street. She will be sorely missed and Ayr will be all the poorer without her.”
Linda Mitchell, owner of Jools gift shop, added: “She’s a one- off and we all love her dearly.
“She is so well thought of and I’m not sure what we’ll do without her.”
• Jean will run a charity shop from Table Topper for the next fortnight as part of her farewell to the town.
A number of items have been donated to the shop and all funds raised will be donated to SADSA ( South Ayrshire Dementia Support Association).
When you see Watt Brothers failing to make it work you know the game is up