Mrs Taffa and her son Metree are currently clearing stock and preparing to sell the business. While her son has not made any definite plans yet for when the business closes, Mrs Taffa has decided to retire to the golf course.

"I want to play golf," she said.

"I've been a member there for over 60 years and I haven't had a game in over 18 months. So I think it's about time!"

Mrs Taffa and her husband Eddie came to Cooma in 1947 and fell in love and bought what was then 'Bookalil's grocery store.'

"At the time when we looked the owner said the Snowy was coming to Cooma," Mrs Taffa said.

"Of course we didn't know what he was talking about, but he was right and the people that came here were from all different nationalities.

"Sometimes we didn't have what they wanted, but I started listening to what they wanted and tried to get it, all different salamis and things," Mrs Taffa said.

A popular expression at the time was "If you can't get it at Taffa's you can't get it anywhere."

Mrs Taffa remembers yesteryear and the vibrant hub that was Cooma during the Snowy years.

"People were so friendly and so honest," she said.

There were balls and nightclubs, all of which required something a little unusual. Dresses of tulle and lace in the latest fashion colours and styles were all the rage.

Over the years the building has undergone a number of renovations including the removal of the upstairs balcony in the 1950s and the reinstallation of the balcony in the 1990s.

Vi Jamieson is a loyal customer who remembers visiting the Taffas as a small child with her father Dave.

"My father used to come here with me when the groceries were here," Mrs Jamieson,"and I still have some of the frocks I bought from Taffas for special occasions over the years," she said.

Mrs Jamieson said she would miss Mrs Taffa when the store is gone.

"Of course we will miss her the whole town will," she said.