‘End of an era’ as ‘Mr Ballater’ to shut hardware shop after 43 years

‘Mr Ballater’ Alistair Cassie will close his hardware store after 43 years in business in the village.

Alistair’s wife Margaret shared the news that the Bridge Street General Hardware Store will shut its doors for the final time on Tuesday October 31.

And Alistair has shed some light on why he’s shutting up shop after more than 40 years in the business.

He said: “I’ve been in Ballater all my days, I’m getting on a bit and it’s time to stop.”

When asked what he’d miss most when he retires, Alistair said: “Meeting people.”

He continued: “Some have been coming to Ballater for 30 to 40 years and they all tend to come into the shops for a chinwag.

A gathering place for Ballater

“The shop has been a great meeting place for the Ballater Local History Group down the years and for locals to gather.

‘We’ve shared a lot of stories and had a lot of laughs.”

When Alistair does call it a day at his hardware shop he intends to do a bit of exploring in his caravan.

He said: “We’ve got a caravan sitting at home that’s not been used in three years so we’ll do a bit of roaming about.

“I won’t be sitting in my house all day, I’ll be out meeting people.”

‘A massive thankyou to everyone’

In a post on social media Margaret paid tribute to the shop’s customers from over the years.

She said  “A massive thankyou to everyone who has supported us over the past years.

“Your custom, support and friendship has been very much appreciated and
Will not be forgotten.”

Loyal customers also showed their appreciation for Alistair, Margaret and the shop on Facebook in the Ballater and Crathie Community Group with locals saying it is ‘the end of an era’.

Elspeth Smith said “All good things come to an end, and you will perhaps be glad of a change in the rhythm of life, but what a great institution that store has been. Thank you so much.”

And Fiona Mcculloch added: “There will always be a wee seat in the Old Station for Alistair to pop in and share his stories with everyone.”

Alistair grew up in Glenmuick and became a television repair-man at the age of 16 before he went on to open the store.

Known locally as ‘Mr Ballater’ Alistair and Margaret look set to enjoy their retirement in the Deeside village.

Royal recognition for repairs

Alistair earned a Royal Warrant for fixing TV sets for the Queen and the Royal Family at their Balmoral residence.

In 2017, he was awarded the British Empire Medal for  his work on community projects in Deeside such as the restoration of the AA phone box at Cambus O’May.