IT will be a long time before the staff at Tam Shepherds forget the night of October 4.

There they were, seated amongst 650 other guests at Hilton Glasgow, everyone dressed either in black tie or in posh frocks.

And, at some point late in the evening, Graham Shields, editor of the Evening Times, standing on the stage, read out the name of Tam Shepherds - and, like that, the much-loved trick shop had become Glasgow’s Favourite Business for 2017.

The award was part of the Glasgow Business Awards, staged by the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. The headline sponsor was Royal Bank of Scotland.

Glasgow Times: ALL SMILES: Sarah Cameron with the award for Glasgow's Favourite Business with (left) Fred MacAulay, who compered the evening, and Evening Times editor Graeme Shields.

Pictured: Sarah Cameron with the award for Glasgow's Favourite Business with (left) Fred MacAulay, who compered the evening, and Evening Times editor Graeme Shields.

“It was a wonderful evening, great fun, with lovely food and it all moved really quickly,” said Sarah Cameron, who works in the shop with her mum and dad, Roy and Jean Walton, and her sister Julia.

“And, of course,” she added with a laugh, “it really helped winning the award too.

“We’re very grateful to everyone who took the trouble to vote for us.”

How did it feel when the name of the shop was called out?

“Obviously it was great,” said Sarah,

“We were hopeful of winning, but we thought we were such a long shot because there was a really strong line-up of contenders.

“We weren’t sure if we could pull it off against Partick Thistle and the Glasgow Film Theatre. You also had the Scotia Bar, and iolla eyewear and Tantrum Doughnuts, which all have a strong following.

“We were pleasantly surprised to win,” she added. “Amazed, actually.”

Tam Shepherds has occupied the same premises in Queen Street, in Glasgow city centre, since the days when Queen Victoria was on the throne.

The shop was established by Tam Shepherd in 1886 and has been run by the Walton family for the past 75 years.

Roy, 85, and Jean, 80, still work behind the counter. Roy himself is a renowned magician, and has published three volumes of card tricks.

The shop’s social media pages are filled with messages of congratulations from customers - many of whom have been buying their magic tricks and joke items here for decades.

One comment on the shop’s Facebook page reads: “Brilliant, it’s great that you’ve been finally recognised for all your hard work and great customer service.”

Reads another: “Always loved this shop I spent my pocket money in here when I was young I am now 69 and shop still doing strong & thankfully I am too ! Award so well deserved.”

“Well done and well deserved,” says a third. “Promoting Magic and fun for decades and encouraging and inspiring so many.”

Other congratulations can be seen on the shop’s Twitter page.

Speaking when the shop was nominated for the award, Sarah said the shop was “quite nostalgic for a lot of people. I suppose it must appeal to their inner child.

“We get so many people coming in to look at all the jokes, novelties and magic tricks that have been here for a very long time, and we are also fortunate in that we get newer generations coming in, too.

“Children are really into their technology but this sort of shop is something really different for them.

“The shop hasn’t changed dramatically in its 130 years. There aren’t many shops left like this one, where you have to have a really good look at everything.

“You’ll get grandparents coming in here with their grandchildren and telling them, ‘I used to come in here with my dad’ and they’re amazed that we are still going strong”.

She added: “It’s amazing when you think we have been in the same premises for generations and have been through two world wars and so many monarchs and all the rest of it.

“There are people who have emigrated to America or Canada and who look at the website and message us to say, ‘I’m glad you’re still there”.

“And when they visit Scotland again they come and see us and say, ‘I can’t believe you’re still in the same premises and looking more or less the same. And my dad is still behind the counter after half a century”.

Sarah said last week: “We’ve been delighted with the loads of reactions on Facebook and Twitter. They’ve been lovely. People have been so kind.

“When Julia and I got back to the shop we took a picture of mum and dad outside with the trophy and put that up on Facebook, and that attracted lots of nice comments as well.

“Mum and dad are delighted.”

The trophy now takes pride of place on a shelf in the shop where it can readily be seen.

“We even had some students in this morning from one of the city’s universities,” Sarah added.

“They do a lot of film-making and news coverage, and when they read about us winning the award they rang up and asked if they could interview and film us with the award.

“The fact that we have won has given us all a lift.

“We’re now entering our manic period of Hallowe’en. It’s a bit crazy in here then but the award has given us a boost.

“It is great recognition for a small business such as ours.

“Sometimes you can slog away in a wee shop, and it is really nice to be able to get an award like this and to know that so many people voted for you.

“Even if we had not won, just to be nominated in itself was great.”

Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said: “The Glasgow Business Awards continue to honour the city’s thriving business community and celebrate yet another year of excellent accomplishments.

“Glasgow has a wealth of strong and diverse businesses across all sectors, and that has reflected amongst all the winners.”

As it turns out, the Business Awards ceremony, in fact, could have been enlivened by one of the shop’s own joke items. One customer of Tam Shepherds wrote on Facebook: “I hope you took some whoopee cushions along to the ceremony!”

The shop’s reply? “Oh - that would have been great!”