After bagging groceries for nearly 50 years, a beloved east-end store owner and his wife are saying goodbye to their customers as they look to begin a new chapter in their life: retirement.

Joe Cirone and his wife, Grace, have been running Cirone's Fine Foods since the pair bought the Queen Street East store in their 20s. Back then, the young couple had a lot on their plate.

"We got engaged in '63, we got married in '64, I had the twins in '65, we buy the store in '66, and we moved in '67," Grace Cirone told CTV Toronto on Saturday, during the store's blowout sale.

Despite their hectic schedule during those first few years, the store’s customers were always top-of-mind for the couple.

"They know me and I know them, too," Joe Cirone said when asked about his relationship with his customers. And that warm hospitality never seemed to wane.

According to local historian Gene Domagala, both the grocery store and Joe Cirone have become fixtures in the area.

"Joe is the person who personifies the Beach as it was, as it is, and as it still should be," Domagala said.

The Cirones' long-time customers also agree.

"This was not a store. This was a welcoming committee at the Beach," customer Sylvia Keseou said. "(Joe) greeted everyone with the biggest smile. He treated you like family and made you feel loved and you can’t buy that."

The Cirone’s blowout sale ends Sunday.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Colin D’Mello