ABERGAVENNY'S only department store is still open for business, despite rumours to the contrary.

John Harrison bought Richards of Abergavenny in 1987 from the family of the late Owen Richards, whose father had started the firm in 1909, and who was the last managing director.

The Richards family was very well known in the town particularly Owen Richards who was president of the Chamber of Trade and chairman of the local magistrates.

Mr Harrison and his family are equally well known in the Heads of the Valleys area for his grandfather set up a hardware store in Market Street, Ebbw Vale known as J S Harrison in 1910 and this was run by Mr Harrison's father Edward and later by Mr Harrison. He used to go into the shop after school so he was brought up in the business. He sold the store and a builders' yard he owned in 2006. The store was bought by two members of his staff.

For many years he has also owned a hardware store in Commercial Street, Tredegar. His wife Alison and daughters Rachel, Gemma and Aimee are all involved in the business with him. Gemma runs the busy babywear section in Richards.

Mr Harrison said, "We have closed down the china and gift section of the Richards' store and it will be transformed into a cookshop while the main shop floor will become home and wear with some giftware.

"I think the rumours started when we put up a notice apologising to our customers that we were closing part of the store for refurbishment.

"The only door we have closed is at the back leading to the DIY section but that will reopen shortly."

Rachel added, "We are not closing the store, we are just altering it, but we are still keeping some of the character. We are doing it bit by bit to cause minimum disruption. We want to thank our loyal customers for bearing with us during the alterations."

Her father said, "We have had to make some redundancies, but the town is suffering at the moment because of the recession, there are too many charity shops and parking charges keep people away.

"Also I think Abergavenny looks scruffy compared with what it was like when I bought Richards. I go to Monmouth and that looks altogether better because there are less charity shops, and it's cleaner. The county council needs to look again at car parking charges"

He also feels that everything happens at the other end of the town and Frogmore Street gets left out when it comes to events like the Food Festival.

"It was better two years ago when the Food Festival had stalls in Lewis' Lane. They can close the main streets when the cycle race is on so why not close it for the Food Festival?"

Mr Harrison has let the first floor to Comfort Zone furniture store and they are finding footfall has improved as people browse among the furniture on display upstairs and the stock downstairs.