Tonie’s Fashions to close after 21 years

IT is the end of an era for one Ennis business and its customers as one of the town’s well-known retailers confirmed that he is shutting up shop next week because of a major downturn in business.
There were signs advertising a closing-down sale at Tonie’s Fashions on Market Street for a number of weeks but this week, Tony Molloy confirmed that he is closing the shop with effect from next week, October 24.
Tony has owned Tonie’s Fashions for 21 years and before that, worked for nine years in Denis Moran’s clothes shop.
“All of my adult life, I’ve worked in the clothes retail business in Ennis. I’ve had this shop since 1989 and I’ve put so much time, effort and money into the shop. I have very loyal customers here and many friends who I’ve made purely through my business. It’s like a small institution and in many ways, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I’m not running the shop,” Tony said.
He added that business has been down for three years but particularly bad in the past 18 months.
“I’ve had many sleepless nights walking the floor wondering how the hell I’d pay the next bills, or pay the taxman for VAT. I made the decision in the past four to five months, on a number of long walks with my two dogs. I had to work out what to do. Would I pump another €200,000 into the business, or pack it in.”
Tony made the decision, that even if he poured more of his own money into the shop, there are no guarantees the shop will survive.
“My business has literally halved in recent years. The prices I’m paying wholesalers haven’t gone down at all and customers are looking for price reductions, which I completely understand because everyone is pushed for money these days. But at the end of the day, I can’t continue to stay in business in this economic environment, because the sales just aren’t there,” he explained.
“Essentially, it was a crunch decision to keep pouring something into a bucket with a hole in it. Whatever way I tried to balance the figures, it just didn’t make sense, so I had to make what has been a very difficult decision to shut up shop. I’m not in debt yet but if I stay in business and keep pouring in money, I would be before too long, so that’s something I have to avoid. It simply isn’t viable for me to stay in business anymore,” Tony commented.
He believes there are a number of factors that are making it very difficult for small businesses to stay afloat. “The cost of running a business is far too high, from VAT charges, to taxes, to rental property costs. All of these things coupled with the fact that the average person out there just doesn’t have as much money, or even any money to spend anymore. The private sector is, in my opinion, carrying the can and getting no help to stay in business from anywhere,” he said.
Tony said he has no notion of working until after Christmas because he needs to unwind and adapt to life without his shop. 
“The shop has been my whole life and the people who have been my loyal customers are my friends and mean a lot to me. I am disappointed and I’m sad that I can’t stay in business for them anymore. But the stress from the financial strains of trying to stay afloat has been terrible and I’m on blood pressure tablets as a result. I was literally working from day-to-day in this business, which I couldn’t continue to do because I never knew what was coming next. That had to change,” he explained.
He said he is not the only local business struggling.
“Others are facing exactly the same pressures as me and it’s a very difficult time for small businesses. For me, the fun had completely gone out of the business and it was all stress. It was like a pressure cooker and I know other businesses feel the same.”
Tony said he has had incredible support from customers and has received cards and so many well wishes.
“They understand why I’m closing the business but they are also very sad, as I am myself,” he added.
The closure of Tonie’s Fashions will mean that both Tony and his two employees, will be without work from next week. This week, Deputy Joe Carey drew attention to the plight of small businesses in Ireland and asked the Government to continue supporting initiatives such as the Clare County Enterprise Board Start Your Own Business Course.
Deputy Carey is supporting the motion for a loan guarantee scheme for small businesses who are struggling in the current economic environment with the lack of availability of credit from the banks. He said Ireland has to invest in new business if we are to sustain job creation in the years ahead.
“We cannot allow our best talent and best business ideas to leave this country. We saw recently that two young IT whizz kids in Limerick had to go to the US to get funding for their business. The conditions in Ireland were not sufficient to keep them here. You have to ask yourself if you had a business idea in Ireland today, does the current set of financing and regulation make it easy to get that business off the ground. Could we be doing more? The answer, I believe, is a resounding yes,” he commented.