The owner of a convenience store near Stirling Castle has retired after more than three decades in charge.
Broad Street Stores changed hands for the first time this week as owner Keith McDowall stood down.
The 59-year-old opened the convenience store in 1991 and says he “absolutely loved” his time running the business.
‘Right time to retire’ for owner of Broad Street Stores
Keith told The Courier: “I’ve had a successful time running the store – I’m not saying I’m perfect but I absolutely loved it for the most part.
“Sure, over the years there have been good times and bad times, but the people you see day in and day out are what make it worth it.
“Morning to night, you get a great variety of people walking in the store, and I’ve seen the business evolve several times over the years to meet the different demographics.
“I’ve met some great characters and I wouldn’t have swapped it for anything.
“However, it was the right time to retire.”
‘We were like a family’ says retiring owner of Stirling store
While Keith has no concrete retirement plans yet, he hopes to jet off to Las Vegas for his 60th birthday later this year.
He says the new owners, Sanje Ganesasabapathy and Annushan Rujanthin, have already started to add their own stamp to the store.
He added: “At the moment I’ve been spending my days in the garden but the hope is to go to Las Vegas with the family.
“I’ve still been going into the store to help out the new owners in the mornings but in a couple of weeks, that will be me.
“Tuesday was an emotional day for everyone, we were like a family in the store.
“I’d just like to thank everyone who supported me throughout the years – if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been there as long.
“We’ve had some really great times, fun times, laughter and madness – it’s made the entire story.
“It has been a pleasure.”
It comes as Chester’s Coffee Xpress on Station Road has been put up for sale as the owner looks to retire.
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