The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
WITH restrictions having been relaxed from last Saturday morning, suddenly people were given more freedom than they have seen in almost two years.
It should mark the beginning of a positive spring season for Clare retailers, with Covid fears presumably set to fall along with the risk of infection.
Gwen Culligan, proprietor of the County Boutique on O’Connell Street in in Ennis said things are finally looking up.
“Yes, we are looking forward to a good season ahead, it’s all very positive and we’re looking forward to better times,” she told The Champion.
It was only on Friday evening, January 21, that people found out the restrictions would be gone the following morning, and she said the Saturday, generally the busiest shopping day of the week, wasn’t unusually hectic, but given the time of year that wouldn’t have been unexpected.
“We were busy, but this time of year would be a quieter time for us anyway. People will mostly be getting paid this week, so maybe next weekend will be busier. It has been a normal January, put it that way. People will be cautious for a little while and planning ahead rather than taking undue risks just now.”
She is not sure how the coming months will go, and while there are signs of demand, it is hard to get the stock required.
“It’s very hard to know. We can’t really predict. We are getting lots of enquiries for weddings, that’s looking really positive, the phone is hopping every day.
“To be honest the biggest issue we have is getting deliveries. The wedding stock we were meant to have in before Christmas we still haven’t got in now. Delays on deliveries would be a challenge for us now.
“But there are loads of enquiries, people are getting organised, they’re planning ahead, and it is all positive.”
The pandemic cast a shadow over the economy for nearly two years, but she says the County Boutique coped relatively well.
“We were pretty lucky to be honest. We had a reasonably good website, we did a lot of selling online, click and collect, all of that was very positive for us. And also the fact we had Government support really helped as well.
“From the time we reopened, we’ve had a pretty good time, we’ve been busy mostly. 2021 was a positive year, despite everything.
“That wasn’t the case for everyone, but for us, we did okay.”
A spokesperson for Ennis Home Furniture said it was too early to see if the latest changes will affect business, but in any event the start of 2022 has been quite positive, reflecting the strength of the economy.
“The start of January was very busy, it has been good. It seems to be getting quieter every week a little bit, but it’s still holding its own at the moment anyway.”
She said that generally since the first lockdown things have been very busy, something that hadn’t been foreseen when Covid-19 first reared its head. While the level of business is welcome, it has meant some shortages.
“Stock was very difficult to get after the first lockdown, because no one saw the surge coming. It’s still only coming around now, it was a mess for a year and a half.”
“The stock levels were really low, there was such a demand and everyone was so busy, the factories were innundated.
“What used to come in two weeks wasn’t coming for four or six weeks because the level of demand was so high, but no one predicted it. We weren’t prepared for it at all.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
