MUSSELBURGH shopkeeper Ann MacKenzie has called it a day after deciding retirement was on the cards.

Her premises Bojangles, near the Old Town Hall on High Street, have been taken over by fellow trader Sharon Brown as she was keen to expand and wanted to keep its history as a card shop alive for the future.

Ann, 58, is now looking forward to having more time to herself after 11 years of enjoying serving the community with cards for all occasions.

First on the agenda is to “do up” her Edinburgh home.

She said: “You’re always thinking of closing down being such a negative thing but I wanted the decision to be as positive as possible and, in the end, that was how I felt.

“I never closed because it wasn’t working. I could have gone on and on but, in my private life, that’s not what I needed.

“I am a widow of two years. After losing my husband Jim, I threw myself into the shop but then I found it wasn’t what I wanted in the end.”

Ann knew Sharon was keen to expand her High Street business Blueberry into a bigger shop and the former Bojangles store fitted the bill perfectly. So Ann decided to rent the premises to Sharon, who also sells cards and gifts.

Ann, a former residential worker in the health and social care sector, set up shop in Musselburgh more than a decade ago after trawling the internet.

She said: “I happened to say to my husband: ‘Look, the shop that my father used to go to to get my mother’s cards in is up for sale.’ That started the ball rolling.

“We went to have a look and spoke to the owner. We then decided to buy it. It was called the Musselburgh Card Centre then and has always been known as the card shop.

“I would like to say a big thanks to all my customers for their support over the years and I am delighted the history of the shop is carrying on.

“Sharon has now taken the baton of pleasing all my customers regarding cards, which they absolutely adored.

“I wish Sharon every happiness in the shop.”

Sharon has redecorated, putting her own mark on the premises.

Launching the new-look shop on Saturday, she said: “I had a small shop and this is a bit bigger to incorporate the cards and the gifts, and have a one-stop shop.

“Ann and I worked together quite well over the last couple of years. It was just an ideal opportunity for both of us. It proves that working in harmony can really be of benefit.

“Ann gets a tenant she knows and trusts and I get the space, and to take over the cards. Hopefully it will be good for Musselburgh.”