Thirty-two years ago, Michael Jackson introduced the world to the Moonwalk dance, Aberdeen FC beat Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, and Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were cultivating the US and UK's so-called special relationship.
The year of 1983 was also the year in which Stephen Murphy started his fruit and veg trade stall in Manchester.
But tomorrow (27 February), the 65-year-old will trade in his Deansgate berth in Manchester city centre for the final time, as he is set to retire.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Murphy serves regular customers including former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs, and that he also had dive under his barrow for cover during the IRA bomb blast in 1996.
When he began, Murphy - who buys his produce from Manchester's New Smithfields Market - sold vegetables as well as fruit, but he now concentrates on fruit people can eat at their desks, with apples, bananas and berries his biggest sellers.
He told the Evening News that he has seen trade drop off over the years - he believes due to stricter parking enforcement and the increase in supermarkets in the city centre.
Murphy told the newspaper: “When I started I thought it would make me a millionaire - but it’s not worked out like that. I meet a lot of people doing this job and that’s nice, especially other people into football.
“I’ve had quite a lot of footballers stop here over the years, and Ryan Giggs has been a few times. But the weather is very harsh standing here. I’ve had the streets flooded with rain and winters so cold my lettuces have frozen.
“I started off selling vegetables as well but I think people get them on their big weekend shop at the supermarket now.
“I remember the day of the IRA bomb. Everyone had been moved back to Deansgate by the police and suddenly it went off.
“I dived under my cart and all the windows went out in Kendals and the mannequins fell out onto the street like dead bodies. I think I’ve lost a lot of trade to supermarkets and also they are much stricter about parking now, so people can’t stop to quickly get things.'
He added: “I’d like to say thank you to all my loyal customers over the years - it has been a pleasure to serve you.”
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