Peter and Janet Furnell have run Winmalee Newsagency for so long they've seen the old Bi-Lo supermarket become Coles and are now serving the children and grandchildren of their first customers.
But they could face closure due to a decision late last year by Coles Group - which manages Winmalee Village shopping centre - not to renew their lease.
"We've watched children [customers] grow up into adults and remember them when they were just little bumps in their mum's tummy," Mrs Furnell said.
"We were from Eden and looked for a business opportunity, Peter found this newsagency and we moved up here to run it in January, 17 years ago.
"Peter knows nearly everyone in Winmalee - he's a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to people's names - and all our customers have been fabulous and their support has been great.
"We've had a few big lotto and scratchies winners over the years - you'd have to take them around the back of the shop and resuscitate them, they'd get that excited."
A letter from Coles Group Property Developments on November 13 notified the Furnells they would not be offered a renewal or extension of their shop lease and instructed them "to ensure the premises were vacated" by September 4, 2015.
The letter invited the Furnells to contact centre management only if they had "any queries concerning the make good requirements" - a reference to leaving the retail space in its original condition.
"That's what really got to me - we were just devastated when we read that letter," Mrs Furnell said.
"It's very sad because we've been a part of Winmalee for so long, we're going to lose the business and we haven't done anything wrong.
"They did not give us any reason but the only one I can think of is lotto tickets - the moratorium [that prohibits Tatts lottery products being sold in supermarkets in NSW] winds up in April."
Mr Furnell said it was only after he raised the matter on Fairfax radio station 2UE that three representatives from Coles and centre management came to the counter and "told us we read the letter wrong and now they want to talk to us about it, so we've agreed to a meeting in February".
"They don't need to offer us a lease - we know that - but when I got that letter it just smelt like a rat," Mr Furnell said.
Winmalee resident Dennis Dring, who shops at Winmalee Newsagency, said the Furnells "are Winmalee icons and deserve a lot better treatment than this".
A Coles spokesperson told the Gazette last Thursday "Coles can confirm that we have a scheduled discussion with the lessee and do not feel it appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of these discussions in the media".
"We currently do not have any plans to sell lottery products," the Coles spokesperson said.