That's all about to change as the former owner of Malua Bay Wine and Spirits announced his retirement from the much loved bottle shop, a move dubbed "the end of an era" by the Eurobodalla community.

In 1994, Mr Rutzoe bought the shop with his mother and employed colleague Rob Allen eight years ago to help him out.

Mr Rutzoe said he didn't think he'd last longer than five years in the job and thanked the community for supporting him over the years.

"I'm amazed how people have appreciated me. I've always tried to provide a good service and the customers have made it fantastic," he said.

"We were always open when everyone else was closed. We got here early, we left here late and gave the best customer service we could."

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The service has not gone unnoticed among locals.

A Facebook post farewelling Mr Rutzoe on his last day quickly gained more than 700 likes and 170 comments wishing him well.

Repeated sentiments of "best bloke ever" and "all the best" as well as personal stories about how Mr Rutzoe kept the shop open late "just for them" say much about a man who just wanted to help his community.

His community spirit was on show during the 2019/20 bushfires, when he and a neighbour stayed up on New Year's Eve to save seven houses, including their own, from the flames.

The next morning on New Year's Day, he opened the shop for people to get supplies.

"I had to look after a lot of people and help them out that day. Everyone appreciated it, but I know there are a lot of people still doing it hard," Mr Rutzoe said.

While Mr Rutzoe is moving on to retirement, the bottle shop itself isn't going anywhere.

It was bought by family owned Ice Box Liquor, a chain of independently run stores mostly located in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.

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General manager Shane Mackintosh said he was keen to continue what Mr Rutzoe started.

"Our business model is to be out in the community, in the suburbs," he said.

"Coming to a place like Malua Bay and following on the footsteps of Noel who has built up a really strong business, we hope the locals can keep supporting us."

Less than a week into the owner changeover, Mr Mackintosh and the new team were already putting the Ice Box touch on the store.

"We've moved things around to make a bit more space and added a few fridges to put our Icebox Liquor touch on it. Hopefully customers will like it!," he said.

"We're also training four new local staff members and it's really exciting to be able to employ local people because they bring so much knowledge to the business."

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Mr Rutzoe said he was excited for the future of the store.

"Everything in the alcohol industry is changing all the time and you're flat out trying to keep up," he said.

"I'm really excited for these new guys because they're going to keep building the store and making it great for the community.

"They will have a far bigger range than me and everyone in the area is going to be so happy."

After 27 years and three months working seven days a week, Mr Rutzoe is looking forward to spending more time with his girlfriend, Sue, and his other true love, classic cars.

"I've rebuilt cars and motorbikes and everything else and now I get to enjoy it," he said.

"I'm just gonna keep cruising along."