Shutters up at the mini market

A HEARTBROKEN Sharon Furlong and her family have called time on the Mini Market in Whitemill Road where it had been an integral part of the community for decades.

Sharon worked alongside her mother Margaret at the store for more than 30 years, but following her passing at the end of July, she said her heart was no longer in it.

‘It was a very hard decision, but it had to be made,’ Sharon told this newspaper.

‘It was always me and her working in it.

‘When she passed away I was on my own and found I was running myself into the ground, working seven days a week,’ she said.

‘I’m heartbroken now, I miss all the customers and all the children, but I’ll be grand.’

Margaret worked at the shop for more than 44 years and bought it 23 years ago.

‘I got a part-time job when I was 14 with Ken and Ann Reid and worked there with my mum for 30 years,’ said Sharon, who owns the business with her siblings.

She said the combination of the long hours and trying to compete against the supermarkets combined against her following Margaret’s death, making inevitable the decision to close the store which had been part of her life for three decades.

‘I have a son and a little grand daugher, so I’ ll be spending more time with them, but hopefully I will pick something up,’ she said. Sharon said she wanted t thank all the loyal customers, especially the children, who had supported the Mini Market over the years.