Valletta Household Store Which Opened Its Doors Before World War Two Closes Down For Good
A small household goods store in Valletta’s Merchants Street which has been around since before the outbreak of World War Two is about to close down for good this week.
N Caruana & Sons is named after Nikol Caruana, who had opened the business in the heart of the Maltese capital 85 years ago.
The current owner, Nikol’s son Josef Caruana, 82, confirmed in an interview with The People of Malta that the longstanding business is set to shut its doors because its landlord wants the building back.
“My father had started off with a sweet shop, Johnny’s Bar in Mosta,” he recounted.
“When he realized that it was not profitable he opened this shop here, 85 years ago. Just before the war. He had started off as a carpenter. I am 82 years old and have carried on working up to this day. I continued with my nephews. I have been coming here for the past 69 years and I do not recall ever coming to work unhappy.”
Dun Ġorġ Preca, who was canonised as the first Maltese saint in 2001, was a frequent visitor of the establishment.
“Every first Monday of the month he used to come and preach here to the men and every first Tuesday of the month to the women,” Caruana said. “Because at the top of this building there is a large room and my father used to invite St Ġorġ Preca to hold his meetings there.”
“I still have a lot of memories and anecdotes from those times. I recall my father buying a tin of toffees from the shop opposite which Dun Ġorġ Preca used to bless before distributing to those present.”
St Ġorġ Preca
Caruana & Sons stood the test of time for decades, even surviving a fire that destroyed the entire shop back in 1971.
“We did not give up. If you give up you will not get anywhere in life,” Caruana said. “I was the youngest, and together with my brothers Guzeppi, Giulinu and Karmenu, we decided we wanted to rise and start all over again.”
“We continued in the furniture business for a while after that but then decided to switch to household goods. We slowly started recuperating. We have been in this business for the last 55 years.”
Speaking to the public, Caruana said he has no regrets, that he did all he could and that running the shop has given him huge rewards.
“I have always tried to make sure that our clients were happy. Everything works out in the end,” he said. “You strive to give a good service and to be of service. I have worked with many agents. Whenever a client came to purchase something that was not in stock I used to make sure to see how to find it. We would like to thank all our lovely customers, God bless you all.”
Cover photos: N Caruana & Sons (Photos: Facebook)
Will you miss this Valletta household store?
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