As the years pass us by, it can be hard to notice all the changes around us. We decided to take a look back at how many of us used to spend a typical Saturday around Smithfield from listening to the latest records to checking out what the local pet shops had to offer.
Smithfield is arguably one of the city's most historic districts that is steeped in countless memories for generations of Belfast citizens. The go-to shopping area has been home to many memorable stores and their owners that used to be part and parcel of our daily lives in times gone by.
Read more: Things you could do in 1980s Northern Ireland that you can't do now
Going to the pet shop
Smithfield was blessed with not just one but two pet shops - Creighton's and Montgomery's. Nostalgic memories will take you back to a time when you walked past the pet shops you were hit with their distinctive smell as you heard chirping from the budgies inside.
Countless hours used to be spent looking around the pet shops admiring all the different animals, and hoping you could persuade your parents to purchase one. Most of Belfast more than likely bought their pet goldfish from either of the shops.
Harry Hall's Bookshop
Arcade Books was hailed as Northern Ireland's most famous second-hand bookshop, while it was fondly known as 'Harry Hall's' to locals. Many a book and comic were read at number 39 on Gresham Street before a purchase was made. It was a bookworm's haven where they could spend endless hours browsing through the shelves to choose what they would spend their hard-earned pocket money on.
Going to the record shop
Who remembers popping into the record shop and getting all the latest records at the time played before you bought them? A typical Saturday morning around Smithfield would not have been the same without stopping by the record shop whether it was Mary Byrne's or Mrs Moore's - a ritual that would be hard to replicate today.
READ NEXT:
- Throwback pics show more nights out at Network, Enigma & more
- Step back to 1990s Belfast with throwback photos of the city
- Things you'll remember if you grew up in millennium Northern Ireland
- In pictures: the places and faces of '80s Northern Ireland
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To get the best of nostalgia delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our FREE newsletter here.
