You didn't just step foot into Northern Hardware for supplies, you would leave with much more than just that.
Sadly, the iconic downtown Prince George store has announced it's shutting its doors in the new year.
"There were a lot of factors," Green said. "And it isn't an overnight decision. It might feel that way. It's a huge loss to the community for sure and it might feel that way to Prince George, but it's been coming for a while."
Green has been running the company for the past six years.
Her great-grandfather started in 1919, after which her grandfather and his brother took it over, and then her dad took it over before passing away six years ago, which she then took over.
But, being able to work within the family is something she'll never forget once they say 'goodbye.'
"Just working with my grandpa, Harold Moffat," she added.
"Coming to work and working with family, it has its pros and it has its cons. There used to be parades down here and there used to be derby races and all kinds of stuff going on and it's just changed."
Green started in the store when she was just a 16-year-old. Now, she's 48 and is president of Northern Hardware and Furniture Co. but with that also comes the sad sight of large changes.
"I've seen the changes and I've seen the downtown change and it's probably the worst it's ever been."
She isn't the only one who's noticed, adding some of the employees who grace the store's floors have been employed with the company for close to 40 years.
"Some of the staff have been here for 40 years and they remember," she added. "They remember when downtown was the heart of the city and it was hustling and bustling, it was the place to go. That's really changed, that's really shifted and they know. We're just not getting the sales that we used to."
"I do feel for the staff because it's a loss for them too. But who knows? Maybe it will be the best thing that will ever happen to them and they'll find something fantastic."
The change in downtown is one reason the store will be leaving but it isn't the only. Green said the store has been struggling to sustain itself for close to 15 years and as they say, all good things come to an end.
"It's not the only factor [downtown]," Green continued. "There are lots of other things. Retail in general, online keeps getting stronger. Letting Prince George grow and evolve and you know, letting big box stores come in."
One "big box store" in particular did take away some of the business that Northern Hardware had been receiving before.
That store was Lowe's, who also announced today (Nov. 20) they are closing its doors this coming February.
"Especially [affected] our hardware business," she added. "Prince George is only so big and when you let these places come in, something's gotta give, right?"
The store celebrated its 100th anniversary this past spring on Mar. 30, 2018.
"The way I see it, and this is a reality, everything has a life span," she added. "We're born, we grow, we mature and we die and Northern's life was 100 years and I think that's something to be very proud of."
It was the store's decision to move on because they would have had to downsize to keep the business afloat otherwise.
"It's a huge loss for sure, and it's hard," she added. "But change is necessary and I think the only way that we could keep going, is if we really downsized. We're too big for what we're trying to do and we would have to move and that's just too much for us to kind of take on."
You could be going into the store for a bolt for a broken toilet, a new bulb for a lamp or some decorations for the holiday season, but you always left feeling valued as more than just a customer.
"It was never about making a profit, big money," she added. "It was more of a service. It was more providing a place for us to go and to provide for the community. It was never really about big profit and if it was about that, we would have been a long time ago or big changes would have happened a long time ago."
Of course, with any large change in life, those changes give you time to reflect on some of the positive memories you have, which Green says she had many but remembers some particular fond ones from her childhood.
"Growing up in here [the store] and running through the halls," she said. "My dad would be down here at night and I'd just be running through the halls riding my tricycle. It's just a huge part of my life and I appreciate it but you know, I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life and I don't know what that's going to be, but sometimes change is hard but it is also necessary."
She added the store won't put out word of a liquidation right away, but said she thinks close to the end of February could be the last time the hardware store opens its doors.
"We're going to go out 100 years and I think that's something to be proud of."
