SO IT'S goodbye to our only town centre hardware shop. The end of one era in Barnstaple, and at the same time another era looms ominously on the south side of the River Taw.

More about that in a minute, but first, after 34 years selling nuts and bolts, shears and screwdrivers, paints and brushes, Denise and Peter Wilden have closed the doors of their ironmongers in Boutport Street for the last time.

Customers have been calling in to make final purchases, leaving "Good Luck" cards and reminiscing about the old-fashioned ways that made Wildens a must for locals and a curiosity for tourists.

During that time thousands of people have wandered around the crowded aisles looking for that particular widget, gadget or implement to put right a wrong in the home, occasionally distracted by the discovery of some tool they'd forgotten they needed and so must buy.

"It's been great fun," Denise said of the couple's career, an enterprise that included a shop in Bideford as well as Barnstaple.

"We've been happy here, and now it's time to call it a day. The last few weeks have been unbelievable. People have been coming in with little farewell presents and cards."

The well-wishers have included many holidaymakers who, over the years, were intrigued by the novelty of the shop, a relic of a bygone era when people could rummage about for a particular size screw or bolt and buy just one at a time if that's all they needed.

There was always a member of staff available to point them in the right direction for their light bulbs or a tap washer.

"They don't have places like this where they come from," added Denise.

The closure of Wildens will leave a distinct gap in Barnstaple's shopping. It's possible that someone will step into the breach they've left behind on Boutport Street, but for the moment we're left with a choice of less convenient national companies to satisfy our DIY demands, usually far enough away to require transport instead of a comfortable stroll into town.

Some might say it was inevitable.

The same thing happened in South Molton a few years ago when Kingdon's closed, leaving us with the same kind of trip to the Pathfields Industrial Estate where builders merchants have gathered to serve the building trade rather than the enthusiastic do-it-yourselfer.

But the Wildens survived, and thrived, in the modern era and the owners of the Bideford shop are carrying on, managing to do good business on Torridgeside.

So perhaps someone else will come along and take up where Peter and Denise have left off in Barnstaple.

If someone does open up a new hardware store in town they'll be part of what our new Barnstaple Town guide calls "North Devon's Commercial Heart".

The guide for 2010-2012 has just been published. I was pleased, but a little surprised, to read that: "Barnstaple has many positive changes on the horizon, is bound to go through a massive transformation in the next decade and we can look forward to this exciting revolution".

I think we have to understand that this optimistic copy was written some time ago, before the new age of austerity put paid, among other things, to a new development that had been planned for the Bear Street/Queen Street area, and before we got used to seeing the Shapland and Petter site on the south side of the River Taw grow increasingly more tired and the wheels of this "exciting revolution" grind virtually to a standstill there.

We can only hope the recession is as short-lived as our town guide assumes and that Barnstaple is indeed able to build on the timeless strength of the other attractions we can read about, like the Pannier Market, the Heritage Centre and Trail, and the upcoming Carnival and Fair.

In the short term the great revolution, I presume, must turn, mostly on Tesco and the construction of what looks like the international giant's huge new presence at Seven Brethren.

I hadn't quite realised how big the complex was going to be until I saw what they've demolished to make way for it. I'm sure the best retail brains in Europe have designed something outstanding for the old Brian Ford site.

No doubt it will make money for the company and its shareholders and be a state-of-the-art shopping experience.

But there are good reasons for my use of the word ominous at the start of the column, echoing the feelings expressed in March by several of our best local councillors.

We all fear the damage such a big store will do to the town centre. It's going to take something truly revolutionary not to hurt Barnstaple's character and charm but to complement it instead.

I'm sure the loss of our last ironmongers has nothing to do with Tesco, but nevertheless the bulldozers have begun a change, and now we can only hope they're not the harbinger of a ghost town some people seriously fear.