AS coal began to shape Dinnington’s future and rows of new terraces filled with mining families, a small, unremarkable shop opened with little fanfare on New Street – just another business in a town growing at speed, and one that would go on to outlast them all.

This was Dinnington in 1910 – when the building that would become known to generations simply as “Clatties” first opened its doors.

More than a century later, the convenience store/sweet shop has closed for the final time, its last day of trading on Saturday prompting a wave of emotion among residents – and, for some, a genuine sense of mourning.

Online, memories poured in from across the decades, painting a picture of a place that was far more than just a shop.

placeholder image — POPULAR: The well-known local shop

“I feel my childhood has just been taken away from me,” said one local man, recalling trips there with his father.

“I remember going to Clatties to buy Snowball and Babycham in little bottles and a bottle of sherry and some beers with my dad for Christmas.

“For us as a family that was the start of Christmas.”

Others reached further back still.

A woman born in 1947 remembered the shop as part of everyday life in post-war Dinnington.

“Mr Clatworthy used to make penny ice lollies. We would buy them on the way to the pictures,” she said.

“He used to provide soda, he charged two shillings and sixpence for the soda bottle, empty pop bottles got three pence back when empty. Lots of memories.”

For many, it was their first taste of adventure.

“I remember being given a sixpence to buy sweets and still brought change back,” announced one woman.

Another local wrote: “I have spent many times with my nose pressed up against the window trying to make a decision on what I should buy – I wanted a little of all the sweets!”

And even those who had left the area carried it with them.

“I don’t live local anymore but glad I took my own kids every time I came home,” said a former resident.

Over the decades, the shop changed names and ownership – known variously as Armson’s, Shentons and Clatworthy’s – but remained a constant presence.

“My grandma worked there in wartime,” one person said. “Such a shame it’s closing.”

In its final days, the mood was unmistakable.

“We parked up outside and saw how sad the staff looked and the empty shelves… so very sad,” said one local.

Another described it as “an absolute icon of a shop, ingrained in Dinnington's history,” while others simply called it “the end of an era”.

There was also a recognition of the realities facing traditional businesses.

“They can’t compete with supermarkets selling cheap beers,” one poster wrote.

Another added: “When there is no longer a profit… it’s unfortunate.”

But for many, the detail that mattered most was simpler.

From penny sweets in paper bags to Christmas traditions shared with parents and children alike, Clatties was part of growing up in Dinnington.

And for the people who passed through its door over the decades, Clatties was never just a shop, but the backdrop to childhoods, Christmases and ordinary days – the kind that, once gone, cannot be brought back.