'The end of an era' as shoe shop closes after 100 years

Reaching a centenary should be a reason to celebrate, but the owners of one shoe shop have finally decided to put their feet up after 100 years of business.

That however, put a spanner in the works for two shoppers on a special mission.

Jo Montgomery and Anne Allen came to buy wedding shoes as Jo's daughter is set to marry Anne's son, but they found the shutters down.

"We were coming to McKillens to look for shoes for the wedding but it's closed, I can't believe it," said Anne, the mother of the groom.

"It's very disappointing, so sad to see."

McKillens has been an institution in Ballymena since 1926.

The store was closed on Tuesday, ahead of a final closing down sale, which began on Wednesday.

Jo, from Ballyclare, said she would have regularly visited the town because the high street "always had what you needed".

"It has been wild looking for a dress for the wedding as mothers' of the bride and groom, it's so important," said Jo.

"You want to try it on and make sure it's right."

The owner of McKillens, Thomas McKillen, said the store was "absolutely packed" on Wednesday morning as shoppers came for a "bargain".

"The appreciation and support we have had from family, from all our staff, old retired staff, and the general public - the messages we have received has just been very touching," he told BBC News NI.

McKillen said four generations have worked in the shop, which has been their life.

"I grew up as a wee boy working in here, when I was seven... and I have been here ever since," he said.

"There's nothing nice about what we are doing [closing down], it is very sad, it is very hard but it has come to this point.

"The high street, as everybody knows, is not what it used to be".

McKillen among the reasons for closing the store, is that in the last 10 years commercial property "has become much more difficult".

"Overheads have soared, online business has come in, Covid came along, and the truth of the matter is and really a single factor is, our property is twice the size it needs to be now for the turnover. So our overheads are massive."

He said he has tried a number of ways to manage costs but "it just gets to the point where you have to say: 'You know what, enough is enough and we need to be wise about this'," he added.

The closure of McKillens follows another family-run business, Wyse Byse, which opened in the town centre in 1972 and closed its shutters earlier this month.

Peter Kincaid, and Anne Speers, from Ballymena, said they have watched the town grow quiet over the years.

"The town is dying," said Peter, with shops closing "regularly now".

"Shops are closing all the time and nobody is buying. Families are retiring and you need a viable business to get someone to buy it over and that's not happening," said Anne.

She added that the pair like to come to the town to "get out the door" but said there's "not much to do".

Peter worked in construction and reminisced about fixing the roof of McKillens many years ago.

"It was a great business and this place was bustling. It's such a shame, there's hardly anyone here in the town now."

Pamela Jackson and her daughter Emily came from Portadown to Ballymena to grab some deals.

Pamela said seeing once "thriving businesses go is disappointing".

"You walk down some high streets now and there's nothing there, charity shops and cafes just. People are going out to those shopping centres or just going online."

Pamela said she would always come to Ballymena for Wyse Byse.

"These places were affordable and welcoming, you want to support local businesses but they aren't here anymore."

There were queues of people at both front doors of McKillens waiting for the shop to open at 9.30 this morning.

Some had been waiting for 45 minutes in wet weather in hope of a bargain and to show their support for the family-run business.

Hundreds of people poured through the front doors following the announcement of its closing.

Shoppers spoke of their memories of bringing children and grandchildren for first shoes and school shoes over the years and described it as "an end of an era".

The chief executive of Ballymena Chamber of Commerce, Tom Wiggens, said he was sorry to hear of McKillens closure.

"The Ballymena area and economy remains vibrant with a bustling town centre attracting new businesses," he said.

Wiggins said businesses are under "growing pressures" and that was a reason for McKillen's closure.

He added that additional support is something the chamber will continue to lobby for.

"This is particularly important in the coming days and weeks when councils and the executive are in the process of setting both business and domestic rates," he added.

The chief executive of Retail NI, Glyn Roberts, said high streets across Northern Ireland are in crisis.

"What tends to happen when you get any business closing on the high street is it results in less footfall, which impacts all surrounding traders."

Roberts believes the crisis can be turned around, but what needs to happen is the government on all levels pushing in the same direction, working smarter and in partnership.