TOPLINE McCreary’s in Crossroads, Killygordon has 160 reasons to celebrate this year.
Founded in 1860 by Johnston McCreary the family-run hardware and DIY store is celebrating its 160th anniversary.
One of Donegal’s oldest stores, the business has remained within the McCreary family for five generations. It is now under the control of Darren McCreary who, along with his siblings Brian and Maxine, lead a great team.
Despite deep recessions and economic uncertainty, McCreary’s has remained a constant force in the Finn Valley.
“As well as celebrating the past, we’re also looking to the future. When you’re running a family business, especially in a small rural area, you’ve a lot of additional factors to take into consideration to ensure that you firstly get noticed and secondly, get people in the door and then, get them back in the door again and again,” Maxine said.
“We would like to thank the people of Killygordon and Donegal on behalf of all our generations throughout the past 160 years. It is through their support we are still here,” she added.
Members of the public, employees and their families had originally been invited to a birthday weekend bash to celebrate the occasion in May but due to Covid-19 that had to be cancelled.
“It’s disappointing because a lot of work went into the celebrations but it was not meant to be. Hopefully we’ve have many more good years to come and, maybe, we might get the chance to celebrate the 170th,” she said.
Topline McCreary’s, or J. McCreary & Co. as it was known as for many years, has always provided the Finn Valley area and beyond with a wide range of goods at competitive prices.
It all started in 1860 when Johnston McCreary (26) left his native townland of Drumurphy, Castlefinn and took a chance in opening a grocery store in the small village of Crossroads, Killygordon.
Johnston, the son of a small farmer and one of eleven children, worked hard to set up and build up his business. He married young and was a widower by the age of 20, remarrying before he turned 21 years old. The business was not just a shop, it was also home to the McCreary family, with the house sectioned to allow for living space and shop.
Johnston didn’t get to see how much his business would grow as he died in 1879 at the young age of 44, following a visit to see his brothers in the United States. The business was then subsequently left to his 12 year old son Alexander Caldwell McCreary who would became an important part of the community. A manager looked after the store until Alexander became old enough to run it himself.
During his time of managing McCreary’s shop, Alexander also recognised the value of and the need for a creamery in the area. He was one of the founders of the Finn Valley Creamery which would become Donegal Creameries and now Aurivo. Alexander died in 1946 at the age of 79.
Unfortunately, Alexander only had one child who died at a young age so when it came to passing on the business he ensured that it stayed within the family. Alexander’s nephew became prominent in the business from a young age and when it became time to take over, Alexander knew that his nephew was the best person to move on the business.
His nephew, William McCreary, son of William Young McCreary, Ardnaganna, had joined the business in 1925, aged just 16 years old. William or Willie as he was best known in the Finn Valley area renovated the premises and extended it to cope with the expanding trade and switch to mechanisation in farming.
McCreary’s became the largest rural establishment in the county, moving from the original house where the business began to a separate building which was attached to the house. The house then became a dwelling home for the McCreary family.
For over 50 years, the firm had horse vans going round houses in the district, bringing the shop to the home and was among the first in the county to have the ‘travelling shop’.
Willie’s wife Kathleen, who hailed from Ramelton, was also an instrumental part of the business and also the Finn Valley area. Kathleen was the first president of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. She also helped to feed the farmers on the walk to Dublin during the Farmers’ Rights Campaign in 1966. She also successfully ran a B&B for some years and raised her five children, which included twins.
The family were raised in the original shop which Johnston opened, living upstairs to the business. A number of staff also lived in the house. Kathleen fed the staff both lunch and dinner each day and was also fond of entertaining family when the business was closed. And all this, she did effortlessly and with a great dignity and grace that is still remembered in the area.
The business would once again take another dramatic change in growth when William’s oldest son, Maxwell McCreary, took over from his father. Max, like most young men at the time, left school and joined the business in his early teens working his way up from yard duties until he was given more responsibility in the running of the company.
Around 1978, Max would expand McCreary’s shop which would then stock groceries, household goods, house furnishings, plumbing equipment and also adding in builders’ providers. By 1980, McCreary’s was the best stocked Spar Store in the Finn Valley area with a floor space of 6,700 square feet, excluding stores.
McCreary’s grew with the needs of the area and turned into a self service Spar Store at the front, with a comprehensive builders’ providers at the rear. Max did a fantastic job expanding the company, which wasn’t an easy task, considering many businesses suffered during the Celtic Tiger. Max and his wife Louise, raised three children, ran a busy business, ran a farm with pigs at one stage and cattle also, and Max was also busy, committing a lot of his free time to various committees in the area, including the Gala weekends, the Finn Valley Agricultural Show, Ballybofey and Stranorlar Mart, the Crossroads and Killygordon Enterprises in Killygordon, who work hard to keep the community tidy and looking good, along with other various commitments.
The business would once again take another major growth development in 2015, when McCreary’s, now Topline McCreary’s, moved for the second time and officially opened their new 12,000 square foot superstore, just 100 metres from the old shop.
The business, now under the control of Max’s eldest son, Darren, has remained within the McCreary family for five generations which is uncommon in this day and age. Darren, along with his siblings Brian and Maxine and their great team who go above and beyond, have taken the business to the next level with a beautiful displayed showroom upstairs showcasing a wide range of wooden floors, internal doors, bathroom suites and tiles.
Not only that, Topline McCreary’s houses a wide range of DIY tools, power tools, work wear, plumbing, electrical, paint, seasonal goods, all the while not veering away from what it became well known for, a builders providers.
Whether you’re just starting to build your home, extending or even redecorating your home, Topline McCreary’s is sure to be able to help. Everything from the foundations to the roof and everything in between, they can help to make your house into a home. Topline McCreary’s can be contacted via phone on 074 9149105, via email on sales@mccrearys.ie or via their facebook page, Topline McCrearys.
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