Residents already told us how they fondly remember the establishments that have come and gone, but this time around, we take a look at some of Ballymena’s longest-lasting businesses that are still holding their own today.
Are there any that you would add?
5. Diamond's, Broughshane Street
The building which houses Diamond's was home to a small 'front room shop' in the 1940s and 50s, but the Broughshane Street newsagent as we know it today was opened in 1979 by Eugene Diamond (pictured right). In the early days, Diamond's stocked newspapers, cigarettes and basic groceries like bread and milk. "At that time, we would have been the last shop before Martinstown," said Eugene, who still runs the business today. The area around Diamond's has changed considerably in the intervening decades, with neighbours including the Fairhill Shopping Centre and the Asda Express petrol station growing up around it. In recent years, the shop has hosted Radio Ulster and the Downtown Breakfast Show. It also continues to be a popular spot for buying a Lottery ticket or a scratchcard, as one lucky winner of £300,000 found in 2017. Photo: Eugene Diamond
6. Doherty and Gray, Woodside Road
Doherty and Gray was founded in 1954 by Patrick Doherty (Patsy) and Robert Gray (Bobby), building on Patsy’s experience as a cattle dealer and Bobby’s as a WW2 Rationing Officer. In 1987, Doherty and Gray Ltd. acquired Richard Hull’s (now Hull’s of Ballymena). In the same year, it moved to its current site on the Woodside Road in Ballymena, and since then has constructed purpose-built facilities including its state of the art offices built in 2010. Doherty and Gray is now the oldest existing red meat company in Northern Ireland. Pictured (centre) attending the cattle market in days gone by is co-founder, Patsy Doherty. Photo: Doherty and Gray
7. Dougies Goodies, Church Street
A familiar name to many in the town, this establishment had its beginnings in 1983 when Douglas (Dougie), who had been working as a baker in Ballykeel, got the opportunity to open his own bakery. Dougies Goodies started as a very small shop and bakehouse on Wellington Street, later moving to a slightly bigger shop on Lower Mill Street. In 2022 Frank Warwick, a loyal customer of Dougies for many years, visited the bakery to order his wife Georgina a birthday cake. Six weeks later, Frank and Georgina acquired Dougies Goodies - safe to say, it was probably the most expensive birthday cake Frank had ever purchased! Dougie and his wife Christine are still involved in the business, and Dougie continues to bake every day with all his original recipes remaining untouched. Recently, the bakery moved to Church Street in the town, and will be opening a brand new flagship store in Belfast city centre this autumn. Other recent ventures include sponsorship of the Belfast Giants and expanding into wholesalers across Northern Ireland, with nearly 40 stores and counting now stocking Dougies Goodies. Pictured (left) are staff outside the Church Street store, with the former premises at Lower Mill Street pictured (right) in 2016. Photo: Dougies Goodies
8. Camerons, Broughshane Street
The town may have changed around it, but this family-run department store on Broughshane Street - pictured here in the early 1990s - has continued to serve Ballymena for over 50 years. Photo: Old Photos of Ballymena