A ONE-time football ground and boxing venue, it also enjoyed success as a greyhound track. But today the 11-acre Park Centre on the Donegall Road is celebrating 30 years doing what it does best - serving the retail needs of west Belfast shoppers.
Once boasting a 100 per cent occupancy rate, the centre - built on the hallowed ground of Belfast Celtic Football Club - is now 93 per cent full and still bucking the general trend across the north where vacancy rates sit at a worrying 17.3 per cent.
But while the Springboard figures for September show a 0.7 per cent fall in numbers visiting Northern Ireland's retails parks and high streets, Park Centre manager Chris Newton isn't losing any sleep.
With a £30 million annual turnover, 35 units occupied and anchor tenants including Dunnes Stores, Subway, Boots, Thomas Cook, New Look and Iceland, the centre - one of only three shopping centres in the north in 1985 - has scarcely been busier.
"The main reason why the Park Centre has been so successful is undoubtedly due to the support it has received over the years from the local community," Mr Newton said.
"A business and its local community cannot survive without each other so we have constantly re-evaluated and adapted the way we do business to suit our core customers.
"Over the past 30 years, the Park Centre has shown that it is more than just a product, it has added value - better customer experience, excellent customer service and really good value for money.
Owned by Latt Limited, made up of local businessmen, that ethos remains, with the centre supporting numerous local charity projects and the majority of the 200 employees hailing from the community they serve.
Keeping things local also extends to the stores, as exemplified in the mix of independent shops owned by families with generations of history rooted in west Belfast.
Among them is Louis Boyd, a menswear shop synonymous with the centre and one of the original to open with the centre itself.
Proprietor Marty Boyd said while business had had its inevitable "ups and downs" over the years, a loyal customer base had helped him survive the worst of the economic downturn.
"We have always had good, loyal customers who have been with us through lean times as well as the good," Mr Boyd said.
"We also have most of the original staff still with us which is a rare thing and undoubtedly helps strengthen the bond with customers who come back time after time."
Over the decades the Park Centre has also grown in terms of bricks and mortar, benefiting from a £15 million-plus investment in new facilities and two new extensions in 2005 and 2008 - but its survival has been mainly down to substance and not looks according to Mr Newton.
"The main challenges are increased local competition, changing customer needs and on-line shopping, but I think the secret of the centre's success is simply the fact it is entrenched in the local community," he said.
"We know our core market and offer specifically what our customers want - and they want a to support local businesses, so we have a good mix of smaller stores which complement the national retailers."
The chance to bag something for nothing also helps pull in the crowds and in celebration of three successful decades the centre recently ran a scratch card promotion in which prizes were given away for 30 days.
"Each day we had a £30 winner as well as spot prizes such as store vouchers and electrical applicances," Mr Newton added.
"All scratch card winners were entered into a draw to win £1,000 to spend in the centre - so it's bringing business full circle again.
"As for the future, we will just keep doing what we do best. We are always looking for new names to introduce to make it an even better shopping experience.
"We know our shoppers will want items from multi nationals that they won't be able to pick up with us, but we offer a different mix - as well as added value that the bigger stores just can't match."
