The McCartan family has seen all the major changes in their hometown of Downpatrick - having first opened business in 1926.
Operating out of two Market Street stores, McCartan Sports and McCartan Footwear, the siblings behind the counters today, took over from their father, who took on the businesses from his father. Now they are serving other generations of local families.
Specialising in Gaelic games, the sports shop offers clothing, equipment and footwear for all ages, having their second store, which focuses on footwear, only a couple of doors down.
Read more: Downpatrick primary school opening at night for community to access 'warm place'
Speaking to Belfast live, Paul McCartan said whether people are buying something or not, they will always pop in for a chat and a bit of craic.
He added: "McCartan Shoes opened around 1926 with my grandfather. My father then went into the business and now he is retired a few years. He is 90 and still going strong.
"We have been here with the sports shop since 1987 and we are still hanging in there. Retail is tough but we are here and Downpatrick is a nice wee trading town to be in.
"For some reason, people keep coming back to us. We have great customer loyalty - we must be doing something right.
"Our customer base is lovely and we get people of all ages in the shoe shop. Although there is online shopping, people still want to come in, try the product on and have a bit of craic with you.
"It is nice that people trust us and quite often it is a customer's parents have shopped with us, and now they want to come in and bring their kids in. It is great to have that good flow of business because you aren't depending on the internet all the time.
"Obviously we are up against multi-nationals so we have to pigeon hole our business a little here. We concentrate our business on Gaelic games, and we are lucky to be in a town with a lot of GAA played. We love talking about the football and the hurling.
"The craic is the aim of the game, that is what it's all about. You will never be stuck for conversation and people love coming in for the craic, even if they aren't buying anything, they may have bought something previously, but they will always pop in.
"This is what country towns are all about - that community feel. Unfortunately, like some of our neighbours, we are heading to the top of the older pile. It's not easy and retail is hard, but we will keep going. We are serving the community too, and if you weren't here, you'd be missed."
Paul's sister Nuala, who works in McCartan Footwear, praised the community of Downpatrick for their loyal support over the years.
Up against the world of internet, McCartans pride themselves on a warm welcome, for any customer that passes through their doors - and almost 100 years on, customers are still choosing them.
"We are well known in the area and my customers are brilliant, they come from all over. We don't do online and I think people like to come in, and try the shoes on," Nuala said.
"A lot of my customers would be maybe elderly, and they love coming in. The craic is great, it is 90. We are here for so long now and we are used to people coming from everywhere, all over to shop with us.
"We do try and give the people what they are looking for. We have served generations of families which is lovely. We would have the grandmother, mother and now children and it is lovely to see them all coming back.
"There is a lovely variety here and we do just try our best. To the community of Downpatrick, we say thank you. Thank you to every single one of them, because if it hadn't of been for the community of Downpatrick, we wouldn't be here."
Video by Belfast Live videographer Harry Bateman.
READ NEXT:
- Six-year backlog of watchdog complaints against Northern Ireland councillors
- Ulster University clashes with Infrastructure Minister over Belfast campus road safety fears
- Holylands student area's 'rowdiest streets' revealed
- NI councils probe dozens of disputes between neighbours about high hedges
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
