Heartbreak as shoe store latest independent shop to abandon ‘dying’ UK town | UK | News
A popular shoe store will close after nearly 100 years of business. McKillens has been one of the most preferred shoes in Ballymena, Northern Ireland since 1926. The store was closed on Tuesday before its final closing sale on Wednesday.
Many businesses have faced financial difficulties in recent years, leaving popular high street shops with no choice but to close. Locals were heartbroken to hear that the well-known and much-loved landmark of the town’s high street would no longer exist.
Jo Montgomery and Anne Allen visited the store to buy shoes for a wedding.
The mother told the BBC: “We were coming to McKillens looking for shoes for the wedding but it’s closed, I can’t believe it.”
He added: “It’s very disappointing, very sad to see this.”
According to the information obtained, four generations work in the shop where they live.
Thomas McKillen, owner of McKillens, said the store was packed Wednesday morning as shoppers came in for discounted shoes.
he said BBC News NI: “The appreciation and support we have received from our family, all our employees, former retired employees and the public, and the messages we have received are very touching.”
Thomas says he grew up working in the store and started helping out when he was seven. He says it was sad to see the store close and the high street “isn’t what it used to be”.
He says the business has faced challenges due to the rise of online shopping and the Covid pandemic.
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He adds that the property is twice as large as it should be based on turnover, so “the overheads are huge.”
Peter Kincaid and Anne Speers, from Ballymena, said they had watched the town grow quieter over the years.
“The town is dying,” Peter said, with shops closing “on a regular basis now.”
The news comes just after local store Wyse Byse also announced it would be closing in the town. Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts described the closure of McKillens as “extremely sad”.
