Traders at Newry Market have spoken of their despair at the dwindling customer numbers and interest in the city's market.
With around 100 years of history behind it, the market is now in dire shape and one trader said it "appears to be on its knees".
Sitting just off John Mitchell Place, the market area is housed in by beautiful vaulted wooden and glass ceilings, but many of the stalls beneath them sat empty at Thursday's market.
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The market runs on Thursdays and Saturdays, with every second Saturday seeing an artisan market in the area.
John McAleavey's family have run a stall at the market for nearly the entirety of its history.
"My family must be here now nearly 90 years, it all started off with my grandmother, then my mother and now me," he told Belfast Live.
"It's been quiet in January and February with the bad weather and that but as the year goes on, it'll pick up, the plant men will come back and that gets more in.
"The unfortunate thing is there's a lot of shops, restaurants and cafes in trouble now with the cost of doing business so you could end up with a lot of them closing.
"The market could end up doing well from that which is an unfortunate thing to see and I do feel for the shopkeepers too."
He pointed to a fear that many of the traders have, that they could be looking at walking away from the market altogether.
"The talk among the traders is that a lot of them just might pack it in, it's very hard, people now have only money for the bare necessities of heating and food," he said.
"One of the problems is that when some of the older traders retire or some die even, there's no young people really coming into the industry replacing them.
"I think there's a problem for retail in general, take the pubs even, half of them only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, so everywhere is struggling.
"We've built up our trade over the years and we still have our regular customers that come to us.
"One thing I noticed was that last Saturday, about 75% of my trade would have been to foreign nationals, so they're providing a good help to the market.
"I think it's because maybe the market would be seen as a bit more of a tradition in the countries they're from, so they always make their way here."
Another man who has seen the market decline over the years is Barry Campbell, whose stall sits near the front entrance, selling bedding alongside dog beds and other items.
"It's unbelievable the change I've seen in here the past 40 years, you couldn't move in here, you wouldn't have got a stall in here for starters," he said.
"You were pushing past people the whole way in every row and now as you can see yourself, it's dwindled.
"Only I have regular customers I've built up over the years, I wouldn't be here, but for someone coming in as a new trader here, it's impossible for them, there's no passing trade.
"I can't see no future in it, no future unfortunately."
He said that Newry Mourne and Down District Council needed to do more to promote the market if it was to thrive again.
"It's not advertised anywhere really, a lot of people even around this area don't know there's a market in Newry, even local people," he said.
"There's young people that come in and they'll be buying something and they ask how long it's been here and they can't believe it when I say about 100 years.
"There used to be a lot of country people came in on Thursdays and then when coronavirus hit, they got out of the routine of coming or they're still afraid to come in.
"I've noticed a lot of older customers haven't come back after Covid, it has really put the nail in the coffin for this market."
For Gerry Byrne, who has been trading at the market for 30-odd years, the sense is that the council is not interested in the regular market.
"I don't know what you would do, but a bit of advertising would certainly help," he said.
"But no, the rent's up 9% next week, no one seems to care.
"When I started here in the 80s, the place was packed and you would have been reloading the stall five or six times a day.
"Now the same stuff would do you six months."
He conceded that there were other factors that stall owners were being forced to contend with as well.
"I suppose shopping centres and online shopping wouldn't have helped, but this place appears to be on its knees," he added.
"You might expect if money was tight, people might revert to the market, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
"It's also the empty stalls, people come in and they see so many of them and they see that and just walk on."
Raymond Jackson has been trading at the market for the past 12 years, but said recent times had made for tough going.
"After Christmas for a few weeks there, it was dead and you weren't lifting money, it wouldn't have paid you to open the stall," he said.
"Before Christmas wasn't too bad, there was a bit of a lift.
"But I've noticed since the lockdown, it's just not the same and I think a lot of people who would have come in don't come in anymore.
"It's such a shame though because you meet people here, it's been interesting and I enjoy it and it takes you out."
A spokesperson for the NMD Council said work is ongoing to "plan a way forward to increase the number of traders and footfall for Newry Market".
"In December 2022 a report was presented to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Sustainability and Environment Committee, titled ‘Newry Market – Revitalisation’," the spokesperson said.
"The Committee agreed that Expressions of Interest should be sought for proposals on how to revitalise Newry Market to retain its history and utilise the space to its full potential.
"Prior to advertising for Expressions of Interest the Council will meet with market traders within the next number of weeks to discuss its regeneration plans for Newry Market."
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