For decades the Belmont Road has been a popular high street for the people of East Belfast and remains so today as it continues to evolve.
The high street is known for its independent and local businesses, some of which have been serving the community in the area for over 30 years.
Featuring everything from fruit and vegetable shops, butchers and bakers to gift shops, art galleries and cafes, Belmont Road has an offering for everyone with people coming from across Belfast and far to visit the businesses there.
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Belfast Live spoke with a number of traders on the popular high street who described what life is like working on Belmont Road.
Stephen Brown of Elizabeth's Home Bakery, who has been baking in East Belfast for nearly 40 years, will have been based on the Belmont Road for 10 years next month and says that the street offers all of the essentials that people need, plus a whole lot more.
He says that he has seen the area change over the years that he has been there as people's needs and shopping habits changed.
He said: "This bakery has been on the Belmont Road for 50 or 60 years and I took it over when it was due to close in September 2012 in order to give it a new lease of life.
"I have been a baker for nearly all of my working life and used to have a premises on Ballyhackamore prior to setting up here.
"The street has certainly evolved over the years, where we now have more coffee shops and eateries, but everything compliments each other and there are a lot of loyal and regular customers who shop here.
"I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for our regular customers who stop in every day to get a few bits and have a chat. There is one gentleman who comes in every day to pick up two scones and I always make sure to keep them aside for him coming in.
"During the first few lockdowns we noticed how important the area was to people and I couldn't bake goods quick enough for the numbers of people shopping here and customers could get all their essentials in the shops beside each other."
Colin Mullan, who owns the longest running cafe on Belmont Road, Truffles Coffee Shop, said that the area is full of character and life, with it becoming a 'vibrant village' in the heart of East Belfast.
He said: "Truffles has been on the Belmont Road for 22 years, although I have only been running it for 16 of those, and we are very proud to still be here and going strong.
"When I first took over the cafe the road was a very different place and didn't have the variety of shops or cafe culture that has made the area so popular today.
"We are very lucky in that we have lots of very loyal and regular customers who come by every week and we have watched some of them grow from their prams into young adults. You sometimes wonder how time has gone by so fast.
"The area itself is like a vibrant little village and has a very friendly atmosphere. There are some locals who will talk to everyone that they pass by on the street which only adds to the character of the area and what has made it such a nice place to live and work."
Alice Wilkinson runs the Refill Quarter on Belmont Road, which is a zero waste shop providing everyday essentials with no packaging and allows people to purchase the exact amount of an item that they need.
She said: "We opened here three years ago just prior to the Covid pandemic and have really enjoyed getting to know the people in the area and our customers.
"There is a great community here among all of the traders who look out for one another and there is a brilliant atmosphere around the high street because it is somewhere people can come to shop, but also spend an hour or two enjoying a nice coffee or something to eat.
"We have really enjoyed that a lot of people have got behind the ethos of our shop and what we are trying to do in reducing all kinds of waste, be that from packaging or people having to buy excess amounts of food compared to what they really need.
"We have always got a lot of support from the local community and if it wasn't for them we would not still be operating today."
Artist Keith Drury opened his gallery on Belmont Road just under two years ago after moving from Crossgar. Specialising in creating urban cityscapes through 3D modelling, he is bringing customer to the area from across the UK to purchase art.
Keith said: "We opened up here almost two years ago and then a few days later we had to close again as we entered the second lockdown.
"But we have so far enjoyed our time here on the Belmont Road, with the gallery being much easier to find than our previous one down a country lane in Crossgar.
"The pieces that I create have been made using the same 3D modelling programmes used by Pixar in their films and I have customers from across the UK who are coming here and we always have people coming in for a look while they are visiting the great cafes and shops beside us."
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