Mark Anthony's Clothing has been a fixture of Wagga's CBD since 1977 when its then 20-year-old owner took the plunge into small business ownership.

He remembers being "absolutely petrified" early on, and he was so low on stock in those early days that he had to space his shirts out as far apart as possible to give the impression that his shop was full.

He started out in menswear before making the move into more casual attire in the '90s, and being able to stay relevant by moving with the trends is something that Mr MacKenzie credits with his longevity.

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"You've got to keep changing," he said. "Even the store, we've changed it so many times over the years, we've probably had 10 renovations.

"I'm not a fashion icon, but being able to pick the fashion, I've always been good at it.

"I think business is very generational and you've got to move on."

Mr MacKenzie originally opened in the South Point Arcade, which used to sit opposite the swimming pool.

He later became the first tenant of the Sturt Mall, before buying the building he is in now, at the corner of Baylis and Morgan streets.

Over the years he's seen fashions come and go, he remembers when the new exciting trend of the 70s was pink shirts for men. Now he sells more pairs of thongs and caps - which he thought would go out of style within 10 years - than you could shake a stick at.

He has also seen generations of the same families shop at his store and his given jobs to many local youngsters, and he's loved working with them all.

"Good service is the main thing, having smiling, happy staff. That's a very big thing, that's the thing we built the business on, good service," he said.

Ideally, Mr MacKenzie wants to sell to a local who knows the shop. But he won't be rushed, he is happy to wait to find the right buyer, he said.

He will enjoy seeing his name still on the store front when he eventually retires, but he will miss going to work everyday, he said.

"I'll miss the whole lot ... there'll be tears. I don't want to sell the shop, I don't want to retire. But, unfortunately, Father Time is catching up," he said.

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