Firm Frank Attard, one of Zabbar’s oldest stores, is set to close its doors after 94 years, its owners said in an interview with The People of Malta on Thursday.

“Grandpa Ċikku opened this ironongery in 1928”, and at the time, the store which has become known as Ta’ Ċikku taż-żebgħa, was still on the other side of Zabbar’s Triq il-Kbira, its owners Joe and Leli said.

Following that, the business was passed on to Joe’s uncles, and then to him and his cousin Paul. “This is where we’ve spent our lives. Even as young boys, we used to come here and run around,” Joe and Leli added.

“We strive to serve the customers as best as we can. Don’t try to cheat them. Be honest and they will come back,” they said.

While the store became “a part of” their lives, they remarked that “it is time to close this business”.

The announcement was met with a series of comments online from clients, who praised the owners’ service over the years, with some even labelling the store as an “icon” in Zabbar.

“Without a doubt, these are people with characters that you associate with Zabbar,” one commentor wrote. “A big pity that the store is closing. They always served clients the best they could. The best ironmonger in Zabbar,” another said.

Others touched on the fact that small stores with so much history are closing down with one labelling it a “sin”, while another wrote: “previous generations used to get out of school early and work with their families. Malta is changing both in its appearance and certain traditions as well. It is evolving over time”.