A couple from Co Down have opened up on how they found love while working at a shopping outlet. Andrew Hamilton and Joanne Stewart both began working at The Boulevard in Banbridge 18 years ago.
Around ten years ago, the pair began waving at each other through their shop windows, while making any excuse they could to bump into each other. This led to lots of trips into each other's shops to borrow the likes of hoovers and cellotape, in a bid to say hello and have a quick chat.
Speaking to Belfast Live ahead of Valentine's Day, the recently engaged couple have opened up on their love story over the years, and shared some tips for new couples.
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Andrew, who is now Operations Manager at the shopping outlet, said: "Both of us have worked at The Boulevard coming on 18 years now and it was about 10 years ago, Joanne works in Bedeck which moved location and I was working in Jaeger at the time. It was great to have new neighbours.
"Then me and Joanne started waving at each other through the shop windows, Joanne would always be in with us buying handbags then coming back and looking a refund. We were always arguing with each other these handbags.
"It was like that for two years, I flirted with her as best I could. Joanne actually broke her foot and I hadn't seen her for nearly eight weeks, then one day I was standing in front of the shop and spied her hobbling up the mall. She called over to me and that's when we really got starting to talk properly.
"We had some more back and forward, I would call in to borrow the shop's hoover or some cellotape. Then eventually it was like 'come on, we'll head out for a drink some night' and everything progressed from there."
As for how she felt when they first started seeing each other, Joanne added: "The girls at work told me to go for it, because I had been single for quite some time. I wasn't looking for anything at the time, especially when I was a single parent, but it just happened. I was getting all the refunds from him and he got my details!"
The couple, who have two daughters, got engaged on Christmas Eve and have recently bought their first house together. Ten years on from when they first started chatting, the pair are still enjoying working in the same place.
Andrew said: "It's always been a family for both of us up here, with being on site for so long, you know absolutely everybody. Our oldest daughter Katie, who's coming 17, she actually works in Costa in The Boulevard as well.
"It's always a bit of fun and craic to come into work, and I think that's one of the reasons the two of us have stuck it out for so long in The Boulevard. It doesn't help though when they're all seen the video of us, and are all winding the two of us up flat out! But there's definitely love at The Boulevard anyway, we're not the only ones that have met up here."
As Valentine's Day approaches, Andrew and Joanne have exciting plans to mark the occasion: "We always try and spoil each other for Valentine's. We're actually going to a local restaurant, The Bronte, this Friday to celebrate, and on Saturday we pick up our wedding rings too. So we have a nice wee plan for the weekend."
For anyone in a similar position to themselves when they first met, Andrew issued some advice: "I would say - go for it. I think now, the two years we were waving and flirting with each other, that's two years I've missed out of us being together. If you have that feeling, act on it."
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