Corrado Risino opened Risino Bros on Jane Street on January 3, 1967, with brother Mario. This year he will retire and hand over to his younger brother Philip.
Mr Risino trained as a tailor in his hometown in Sicily before moving to England in 1962.
He said: “I’ve met so many interesting people through my work and it’s been a great joy to have so much job satisfaction.”
Mr Risino and his brother Mario, who retired 15 years ago, worked with a Sicilian tailor in Carlisle before opening their own business in Workington.
He will spend his retirement looking after his garden at his Seaton home and spending time with his four grandchildren Isabella, Sofia, Stella and Santino.
Mr Risino, who is married to Judith, said: “I also want to spend more time in my home in Sicily and travelling with my wife.
“England has been very good to me. Not only have I had a successful business, but I also have three very successful and happy children.
“My oldest son Anthony is a chartered accountant, my daughter Francesca is a prosecutor working in the Edinburgh law courts and my youngest son Riccardo is a tax lawyer working in London.
“My granddaughter Isabella is studying law at Oxford so she’ll be the third in the family to become a lawyer. I’m very proud of them all.
“I will miss the contact with the people in my job. I’m going to help Philip at the shop until later in the year but then I’ll hand over the business completely to him.”
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