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Family-run electrics shop closes after 52 years

BBC / Naj Modak Siblings Susan O'Brien and Melvyn Stroughair holding an old photo of their shop while standing in front of the same shopBBC / Naj Modak
Siblings Susan O'Brien and Melvyn Stroughair say they are closing for the final time due to changing competition

A traditional electrics shop that has been run by the same family for 52 years will close its doors for the final time on Christmas Eve.

Maureen Stroughair started All Types Electrics in Rotherham in 1972 and her four children took over the business after she died six years ago.

The siblings grew up in a house attached to the premises on Fitzwilliam Road, which have expanded over the years.

Mrs Stroughair's daughter, Susan O'Brien, said "changing shopping habits" have forced the family to stop trading.

BBC / Naj Modak Melvyn Stroughair using the till in the shopBBC / Naj Modak
The pair have fond memories of running home from school to see if their mother had sold anything

She added: "Since Covid it's got a lot worse. We can't compete with some of the big shops but luckily we have had loyal customers that have come in. But it just gets harder and harder."

After Mrs Stroughair's death, her son Melvyn, who had previously been a steelworker and an electrician, stepped in to keep the shop going, along with Mrs O'Brien and their sister Elizabeth Lopez.

Remembering their childhoods, Mrs O'Brien said: "I used to clean on a Saturday morning and I used to get about 50 pence. At first, there was hardly anything here to clean. There was just one shelf."

BBC / Naj Modak A photo of Maureen Stroughair on the shop counterBBC / Naj Modak
Maureen Stroughair used to visit her shop and help customers even while living with dementia

Their parents originally ran the business together before they divorced, and Mrs Stroughair continued to do so until her children took over full-time. She would even pop in to speak to customers when she was ill with dementia.

Mrs O'Brien added: "Mum was the heart and soul of everything. She was All Types Electric and everybody who comes in always talks about her."

The armchair behind the counter is the same one their mother would sit in to greet people in her final years.

Over the years their customers have included local actor Paul Shane, star of Hi-De-Hi, who popped in to buy a length of cable.

The siblings agreed that competition from larger outlets and online shopping had made it more difficult to keep a small shop open, and added that none of their children were interested in joining the business.

Mrs O'Brien said: "It's very emotional for all of us. We will miss customers, some of them we have known since we were young."

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