INTO ALADDIN’S CAVE

settlement or early retirement while the Burberry factory eventually shut its doors after 18 years in 2007.

“From 1980, my wife came in and helped to run the hardware shop,” said Allan, who continued to provide commercial and private central heating and plumbing services, taking contracts with British Rail, Post Offices, hospitals and gas boards.

“We try to keep it so there’s a bit of everything in the shop. That’s how it developed and that’s how we keep going – adapting to the times.

“People come in here looking for a cross-section of things – Brillo pads, saucepans, the things people use for everyday life.

“We get quiet periods, like all businesses do, but we also get busy periods. Before the big stores came into being – like Asda and Tesco, and the internet – it was a lot busier than it is now. But I think people still value a local service.

“We’ve been here for so long and we’re knowledgeable about what we sell. We can advise people about things and can order most things in – if they’ve got the patience to wait, we can order in anything they want.”

Allan has now retired from fitting plumbing and central heating and can be seen working at the shop most days in Treorchy while Janice, who ran the shop until around four years ago, has taken a step back due to health problems.

But she has handed on the baton to her son, as the family prepares for the next 50 years.