Paul and Linda Cooley thought a lot about opening a business together when lockdown hit in March 2020.
While many entrepreneurs across the country were being put off during the crisis, the married couple decided it was now or never for them.
And so in April 2021, they decided to take the plunge opening their very own menswear store on the Greenhaw Road in the city.
Read more: Mum-of-two told she had IBS by doctors actually had cancer
Speaking to MyDerry , Paul Cooley of Paul Martins Menswear Co said the support from the Derry public had gone beyond his expectations.
He said: "This is something that I thought and hard about during the first lockdown. It's been something that I even wanted to do before Covid-19 came upon us so this idea has been burning for quite a while and I can't believe the success we've had so far.
"The first year has been fantastic. It's amazing the support that you get from the people in this city when you go out on your own. It's gonna beyond anything I could've imagined it to be.
"The people have really bought into what we're trying to do. We are trying to provide good quality menswear with exceptional service. When a man walks into our store we want them to be able to feel confident when they leave.
"That's a big thing for us, we want to be able to dress them from top to bottom and for them to be happy with it.
"We felt there was a gap in the market for that type of service.
"When there was an opportunity to open up on Greenhaw Road we jumped at it because there was free parking for customers and all of the businesses there are well run and we all support each other."
The Derry-native said the couple's eagerness and excitement to open their own store, lots of nerves about the running of the store continue to this day.
"You never lose the nerves," Paul added. "This is something that I've been doing since I was 15-years-old because my grandfather ran a sports shop in the town and my father also helped me progress in retail.
"We knew what we wanted to achieve and we were quietly confident that we could do that. We stuck to what we felt was right and it has worked so far. We are still nervous to this day. We don't get carried away and we open up every day trying to be better than the last."
Buying from local suppliers is a big part of the family-run business, with Paul saying he felt they knew what men here wanted to wear.
"I am very conscious about who I get my clothing from," he said. "I feel like Irish companies have a good understanding of what Irish men want to wear.
"We work closely with a number of suppliers from Ireland and most of the stuff that people see in the shop is designed across this island and that's very important to us. "
"It shows our customers that we care where our clothing is coming from and how it's sourced and we hope it attracts people to come along and see what we have to offer."
Read more: The 'Compassionate Communities in NI helping people cope with loss
Read more: Derry street artist tells the story behind new John Hume mural
To get the latest breaking news from Co Derry straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
