John Phelan (snr) opened his first shop in Carrigan St. Durrow in 1955. In 1961 he moved to the current location at Castle St. Durrow. In 1974 he was one of the founder members of a buying group called Amalgameted Hardware which aimed to give bulk buying power to the smaller and medium sized merchant. This group now trades under the Topline brand. In 1985 he opened a second shop in Ballyragget Co. Kilkenny which provided a diffferent customer base for his business. In 1987 he was joined in the business by his son John who now runs both shops.
