Nola Trott summed it up for many Christchurch residents yesterday, as she watched her husband's place of work, and the family's source of income, for 20 years demolished.
The block of shops, at the corner of Cranford and Westminster Sts in St Albans, was knocked over after it became dangerously unstable following a large aftershock about 1pm.
A large crowd gathered to watch the digger do its work.
"It's a sad day this, a pretty devastating day actually," said Mrs Trott as she and husband Lindsay watched the building that housed their business, Altron TV, knocked over.
"This building's been a part of our family really.
The kids all remember Dad being down at the television shop."
The couple had retrieved all their stock, and knew the 90-year-old building would have to go because it was so unstable.
"She was a lovely old building," Mr Trott said.
They would continue to run their business from their home.
Fellow tenant Chris Watson said she had spent the morning clearing out her clothing store.
She said she was lucky not to have been inside whenthe aftershock struck.
"It was all right in the morning, and then the wind got up and big hunks of plaster started falling off the ceiling."
Everything happened so fast it was hard to comprehend what she was seeing, she said.
Another tenant who had a close call was Wunchana Kuajaroon, who had been clearing out his Thai Takeaway business moments before the aftershock.
"I got in my car and drive away; just 30 seconds and I feel this shaking.
"I got out and think it was something with my tyre and see the building has fallen down on this side."