Gone was the easy listening music, gone was the comforting sound of everyday life, gone was even the smell of Subway.
All that was left in the end was silence, broken up with the banging of removal teams taking down what was left of the EE store.
When the end of the St Giles Centre came it was with no ceremony, no fuss and was barely noticed by High Street shoppers.
Shortly after Subway closed at 2pm, two security guards with jangling keys slowly walked to the gates leading to the Plainstones.
After a couple of forceful attempts, the three sets of gates were pulled closed. They were padlocked shut, and that was it done.
After 34 years of being at the heart of Elgin High Street, the St Giles Centre was closed.
This is what happened when The Press and Journal spent the last day of the St Giles Centre inside the shopping centre.
A Monday morning like no other
By the time the last day of the St Giles Centre had arrived, almost everyone had already packed up and left.
With just two weeks notice there was no time to waste clearing units before the gates were locked.
Walking through the St Giles Centre it was a mix of shutters pulled down, A4 printed notices hastily stuck to windows with closing dates and removal crews taking apart what had been shops.
Downstairs at Ashers Bakery staff carefully moved away heavy kitchen equipment amidst hopes it can be retained at a future store in Elgin.
Employees from other stores could be seen hugging each other during emotional goodbyes after many years working together.
Some carried cardboard boxes and pushed items away in trollies, all that was left to do after a career working in the St Giles Centre.
Christmas tree and decorations left up as St Giles Centre closes
While all the St Giles Centre units have been hastily closed, the Christmas decorations continue to hang.
Large wreaths with baubles adorn the walls in the main atrium above the escalators.
And on the stage, a Christmas tree stands with a step ladder next to it.
Decorations have been removed from the bottom but are still on the upper half of the tree as if it has been abandoned in a rush.
Santa’s grotto is still largely intact in one of the vacant units complete with fake snow in the window.
Who knows how long the Christmas decorations at the St Giles Centre will stay up for?
The baubles were still shining and the tree was still up as the mall was locked up and staff spent their last working day in the shopping centre.
Queues at Subway on last day at St Giles
Amidst all the deconstruction, Subway was the only business open.
Staff served coffees to regular passengers from the bus station who were having one last day in their regular routine.
Crews packing up units in the shopping centre joined them, taking advantage of the takeaway giving customers 50% off on the last day.
As morning turned to afternoon, the regular queues for subs grew as shoppers lined up to get their last lunch.
Staff kept a track of how many bread loaves remained on the trays as supplies ran low as the time ticked towards 2pm.
In the end, all the subs were long sold before the final store trading in the St Giles Centre closed.
Announcements were then made over the shopping centre’s speakers telling customers the building was closing at 2pm.
By then, the only customers left were those making their way to the bus station.
And the silence was only broken by the sound of removal teams clearing what was left of their stock and equipment.
In pictures: Final day of St Giles Centre
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