Long-time businesswoman retires

A lifetime in business, selling everything from lingerie to wooden boxes, drew to a close last week when Ruth Munro retired.

For the last 18 years, Ruth has been a familiar figure at the counter of her shop, Intimate Apparel in Riverside Arcade, Warkworth.

“I’m going to miss the customers and just working,” she says. “I’ve loved the last 18 years. Some of my customers have been coming to the shop since Val Perry opened it 35 years ago.”

While others might despair at the impact of online shopping on small retail stores, Ruth believes there will always be a place for shops that provide good service and where staff know their products.

“I’m very positive about Warkworth’s future – it is a lovely town with a growing population.”

Prior to owning Intimate Apparel, Ruth was a professional dressmaker specialising in wedding dresses and evening gowns, and at one time had a woodworking business making decorative interior design items.

Although she is now in her mid-70s, she says she is only retiring due to health reasons.

The new owner is Louise Tunnicliffe, who took over on April 24.