MOURNE Antiques on the Main Street in Letterkenny is celebrating thirty years in business.
Frances Spears took over the store from her mother Teresa in 1989 when it was on the banks of the River Mourne in Strabane.
In August 1992 she decided to move to Letterkenny where she had spent time at college and opened a business at 8 Port Road.
In 2014 she was on the move again and took over 38 Upper Main Street before making her final move in 2019 to where she is today.
Thirty years and three locations later Frances has found her home in the Old Bank Building on Main Street where she says her antiques, collectables and jewellery are able to shine.
More space enables her to show a larger variety of furniture and china, and especially the selection of quality jewellery Mourne Antiques is best known for.
From modern silver to antique diamonds the store has become a cherished spot for many and the rare and exquisite engagement rings make it an essential visit for loved up couples.
Down through the years Frances has witnessed the changing trends and watched how things fall in and out of fashion.
When she started brown furniture was hugely popular but tastes then turned to country pine, then to up-cycled painted furniture before brown furniture made a comeback.
She has found the same with jewellery – as the popularity of yellow gold diminished, white gold and then silver took over before the resurgence of yellow gold once again.
Frances has had many impressive antiques pass through the store over the last three decades and sometimes she is lucky enough to see the items return after many years.
This was the case recently when an antique brooch, made in 1900, made its way back, much to her delight.
Working alongside her at Mourne Antiques is Keith Stevenson, Joanne McLaughlin and her husband Alan Evans, part-time.
After thirty years Frances says she puts her success down to always having quality products and always looking after her customers.
She even has three generations of the same family coming to her store after all these years.
As a thank you to her loyal customers, friends and browsers for this week only Frances is giving a massive 30% off absolutely everything in the shop.
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