Robin and Wendy Frost, owners of Frankford's general store, have decided to close the doors for the final time.
FRANKFORD'S general store is shutting its doors after serving the area for a century, and the couple who have been behind the counter for almost half that time see it as bittersweet.
But Robin and Wendy Frost, who have clocked up 43 years as owner-operators of the store on the Frankford Highway between Exeter and Devonport, say times have changed and so must they.
So the store will close at 6.30pm on Easter Sunday , after serving the community since at least January 1913.
The couple stopped selling petrol in 2010, due to increased regulations, but they still operate as a newsagency, post office and grocery store.
``My father had it (store) for 20 years prior to us,'' Mrs Frost said.
``And we we bought it from him - we were married on November 1, 1969 and took over the store on December 1, 1969.''
She said the exact age of the store is not known, but banking records show it was trading at least from January, 1913. It was earlier located about a kilometre from its current location, but the exact location is also unknown.
Mr Frost, 67, said they tried unsuccessfully to sell the business a few years ago and decreasing passing trade had hurt the viability of the business, so they decided to close. They will continue living in the house behind the shop.
``I will miss the activities from day to day,'' Mr Frost said.
``It is sad that the district is going to lose an establishment but it's a sign of the times.''
One of the difficulties of selling the business was finding someone prepared to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the shop open.
``People just do not do it, they do not want to work long hours now,'' he said.
Mrs Frost, 63, said they had met many great people across the decades and served two generations of locals.
She has a simple recipe for longevity in business.
``Basically you treat people the way you would like them to treat you,'' she said.