Iconic Hatton’s Model Railways has moved out of its Smithdown Road home after 70 years.
The shop which specialises in model trains, tracks and accessories has relocated to bigger premises in Widnes.
Norman Hatton founded the store in 1946, originally selling everything from firewood to bric-a-brac until it became a specialist model train shop in the mid-1950s.
The first shop was at number 182 Smithdown before it moved to the larger corner premises at number 364.
General manager Richard Davies, who has worked at Hatton’s for 17 years, told the ECHO that he had “mixed emotions” about the move.
He said: “I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter but I have a real emotional attachment to Smithdown and today’s a sad day.”
Mr Davies, who started working for Hatton’s after he offered to help the then-manager create a website when he was just a customer, added: “We’ve been lucky to have the support of the locals over the years but now we need to focus more on what our customers want.
“We’re a 21st-century business in an early 20th-century building.
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“The current shop is less than 6,000 square feet and our new building is a lot bigger. Parking will be a lot easier too. Today’s a significant day in our growth.”
Hatton’s has continued to expand over the years - from just six staff members in 1999 to 64 working today.
The company made £14 million last year, £12 million of which came from internet sales.
Christine Hatton, the daughter of founder Norman, has been working full-time for the store for 18 years.
She told the ECHO that the move was “necessary commercially and for health and safety reasons”.
Ms Hatton, 53, added: “The Smithdown store’s not up to current health and safety standards and getting it up there would require an awful lot of work.
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“We think if we bring our business together on one site we’ll be more efficient and give our customers a better service.
“Sometimes customers are disappointed that we don’t have all items in stock - we offer to post things for free but they’re still disappointed and they want to see the trains running on the test track. Also in the middle of the day there’s nowhere to park.
“So moving is definitely necessary and we’re looking forward to it.”
Photos by Andy York of RMWeb/BRM Magazine