When Mike Saleh first opened his Super Duper convenience store in 1979 on Bridge Street West a block from the Moira River, the neighbourhood buzzed with daily life.

Sidewalk footfall was a never-ending stream of workers going to and from work providing Super Duper with a steady run of business most stop-and-shop owners could only dream of.

Countless workers flowed in and out of Corbin Lock factory across the street, Bell Shirt was humming on nearby Coleman Street, M&M Restaurant was a lively diner up the way and the outdoor bell of adjacent Texaco gas station was constantly dinging as cars pulled in to fill up on petrol.

Forty-one years later, Saleh, 76, says it’s time to say goodbye to generations of customers he has watched grow from children to parenthood and some who are now grandparents.

And, after working seven days a week – save holidays – for four decades, Palestinian-Canadian Saleh said it’s time to unplug the cash register and turn out the lights forever.

Saturday at high noon, Saleh will shutter the business with the last tap of the keys on his cash register.

Saleh is going to put his feet up on newfound days off and spend time with he and wife Tamara’s five children and grandchildren.

“I’ve worked every single day, I never took a day off. Now I can sleep in, visit my grandchildren, go the park,” Saleh said. “It is my time to enjoy life after many years.”

“We were once a very busy store. I was the only one that was open 24 hours in all of Belleville,” said Saleh from behind the counter on Wednesday. “There is a big difference now, people have changed, the city has changed. It was more friendly back then, people were nicer. Belleville was more of a small town, now it’s like a bigger city.”

Super Duper’s closure this weekend signals the end of another icon establishment the city came to know for friendly chats, old-world charm and old-school honesty and respect.

Super Duper joins other community anchors that have long disappeared into the city’s historical tapestry such as Louis Tsichlas’s former Cozy Grill, Bill and Erma’s store on Bridge Street West and George Zegouras’ variety store on Bridge Street East.

Aside from make a living to raise his family, Saleh said running one of the most popular convenience stores in the city was never about the money.

Down through the years, it was always about being part of the people in the working class neighbourhood where everyone looked out for one another.

“At the time, nobody would give credit, I gave them credit,” Saleh said. “If someone needed milk, bread, I would give it to them. Sometimes, if they didn’t pay, it was alright.”

While not collecting money owed may not be sound business acumen, it earned Super Duper respect and reputation as a place where Saleh was a friend to everyone.

When not catching up with customers, he was forever stocking shelves with everything from soup to nuts, items which were marked down this week to half price to clear the store.

In addition to the bare family essentials, Super Duper carried all manner of goods far ahead of its time ranging from roach clips and bongs to curiosity items, T-shirts and eccentric hats and jewellery.

The wide inventory attracted an equally wide selection of customers, many of whom became caring friends and good neighbours of Saleh and his employees working the midnight shift.

“It makes me cry after all these years,” said Saleh, his voice breaking as he stepped away to wipe a tear from his eye. “They are all like family to me.”

At any given time, there were always people inside and outside of Super Duper, especially in summers when warm nights beckoned neighbourhood children from Cedar, Everett and Coleman streets to park their bikes, sip pop and talk sports, baseball cards and the latest TV shows.

“People would always come, stay, tell stories. They were very good neighbours, young and old,” Saleh said.

A constant parade of regulars around the store loyal to Super Duper’s affable proprietor also lent credence to safety in numbers given Saleh’s recollection of only one armed robbery of the store in 41 years.

“Maybe it was God and the neighbours. They always looked after me, they told me to call them if there was any of trouble,” he said.

Longtime customer Laura Marchand, 70, was emotional when asked about the closure of Super Duper and the loss of Saleh in the neighbourhood.

“I’ve known Mike since 1971 and he’s a very kind man who has always looked out for all of us,” she said standing in a customer line shortly before noon Wednesday. “He’s treated everyone very well. We will miss him. He’s actually become a very dear friend.”

Marchand waved off any further questions from The Intelligencer, saying, “I’m going to cry” as she rushed out of the store’s door to the clanking of bells overhead.

In time, customer loyalty as expressed by people like Marchand, helped the lone Super Duper store model repeat at five other Super Duper locations around Belleville on Coleman, College, Front, Avondale streets and in Rossmore until they later closed one by one when Saleh grew wary of the workload.

But the healthy revenues over time helped Saleh raise the money to open the city’s only mosque at Moira Street East and Coleman Street known as The Muslim Society of Belleville.

From six members to more than 100 today, the peaceful congregation helps support city projects and hosts a potluck dinner every Friday for the homeless which feeds more than 60 people a week at no cost.

Saleh said he will forever be obliged to Canada for helping him start a new life when he came to Canada in 1968 where he moved from Edmonton to Toronto, then Trenton before moving to Belleville and realizing he had found a home where “the people have good hearts” and raise a family.