Is Ennis turning into a ghost town?

MyKeyG

grindelwald wrote: »

Hotel breakfasts are way over priced, the Sherwood.will take most of the trade. Hotel breakfasts aren't that nice, jds did a great full breakfast decent price too.

I corrected my post. I meant to say 'They did' instead of 'Did they'. That hotel breakfasts aren't that nice is a matter of opinion. What would you say JD's do that hotels don't do? You don't really back up your statement.

poppyvally

A whole euro! "gasp*.[/QUOTE]






well it is a lot if your only popping in for 1 or2 items

Warper

Small retail shops are dying - they cannot compete with the economies of scale enjoyed by large multi-national's and online companies. Soon they will be extinct and all we have is your local Spar or Centra for bits an bobs and Tesco or Aldi for weekly shops. Everything else online.

yermanoffthetv

CptSternn wrote: »

I go to Dublin a few times a month, as well as Limerick and Cork on a regular basis. I often buy stuff I wasn't really shopping for when I am out for a day in the shopping areas there. I like walking through pedestrian areas like Grafton street or in Cork or Limerick, having lunch outside of a nice little cafe. The vibe you get makes you want to do a bit of shopping and socialising. Ennis has none of that. We have cramped streets and no good place to sit outside and have a drink while shopping. I love having a pint outside Tom Steele's in the summer and having tea outside the Ennis Gourmet shop on occasion as well, but we need more of that. The people of Ennis have continually said this, and the merchants continually have fought this. Until they make the place more shopper friendly and give customers a nice area for them to stroll around while in town I feel no remorse for not supporting them more.

Yea I tend to agree with this, Im from Galway myself but ive family in Ennis so ill chip in my 2cent.
Pedestrianisation would be a great start but it needs to be backed up with reasonable parking facilities,Wasnt there a scheme where the shops refunded parking if you spend a tenner? where did that go
What I would say (I am aware it is quite controversial here) Ennis needs the multinational chain stores.They offer competition and if Ennis is going to pick and choose what it wants in the town it will get nothing.A town with nothing means people will go elsewhere to shop. What the independant retailers dont seem realise is this will benifit them IF they can get them to set up in the center of the town and not force them to the outskirts like Limerick.Its a shame the cusack park redevelopment never happened, that would have been the perfect place to set up a new riverside shopping district.

The whole 'boutique town' thing might have been ok in the celtic tiger but its addapt to survive time and this isnt being done in Ennis.
A friend of mine owns a small electronics shop in galway city center, moved away from directly selling products because the chain stores were hammering him on price and choice. He focused on the niche side of things by offering repairs, trade ins,imported products etc and hes doing grand. Lesson learnt there, dont fear competition and find a unique selling point and business will find you.

Balagan

maiden wrote: »

One more to add to the list!

JD's Coffee House in the Market, all staff were let go on Saturday and is now closed down

Oh, I am sorry to see that go. It wasn't a place for great food or great prices but there was something to suit all age groups and likes and dislikes and it had a pleasant atmosphere and nice staff. It closed too early though, like about 5pm, and quite a few times found myself with family groupings etc., who would have gone there later than that.

Often feel there is a real gap in the market when it comes to family dining places in the evenings, apart from hotels and fast food places or Indian/Chinese etc., where families could go of an evening and there'd be something to suit everyone. My family and friends loved Ruby Tuesdays and really missed it but even that place lowered the lights, lit the candles,narrowed the menu and upped the prices from 6pm.

CptSternn

Dunno if there are any other musicians out there but ye saw Buskers also closed like last week? There is no place in Clare that works audio systems on or rents out gig equipment now.

Run_to_da_hills

CptSternn wrote: »

Dunno if there are any other musicians out there but ye saw Buskers also closed like last week? There is no place in Clare that works audio systems on or rents out gig equipment now.

Closed for good?

I was only passing these recently and saw him open. If anything I would have thought Philly Walsh would have moved to a more suitable ground level unit.

Shapey Fiend

I'm kind of with Palmach even if he didn't argue his point very tactfully. There are a ton of really good independent businesses in Ennis that provide stuff at a good price with friendly service. Of course there are others that don't but with so much variety there at the moment it's easy to pick and choose if you're prepared to walk about a bit and check things out.

I'm still not convinced that pedestrianisation is going to be the solution to all the towns woes. The two streets with it in Limerick seem relatively dead. People just go to the Crescent instead. Considering how bloody lazy most people are about walking around a bit with a few bags I don't know that having them park further away from the shops would solve anything. I bet you more people would just start doing all their shopping in Lidl or Aldi and forgo the town altogether. Then once all the local stuff goes to the wall jack up the prices.. we all know how these places operate. Better to lose a euro here and there to local business than get enticed by loss leader multinationals who aren't interested in giving you better value just having you do all your shopping there.

MyKeyG

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

I'm kind of with Palmach even if he didn't argue his point very tactfully.

Believe it or not so am I to a certain degree and I'm sure a lot of people see the merits in his opinion if not his argument. I have no doubt that 'There are a ton of really good independent businesses in Ennis that provide stuff at a good price with friendly service. but the argument is that on-line shopping and the big chain stores give you far more choice for your euro. That's the point. I would LOVE to give Ennis the business. As I said my sister was in the market for a telly. She actually bought it down the Quin road business centre because as she said herself they had more options. More option is better option every single time in my book.

I'm at a point now where I have my few on-line stores that I like to use. I get the loyalty points for repeat shopping (something you simply don't get with bricks&mortar stores) and they're rarely out of stock on anything. Yes you don't get it immediately but even from the UK it only takes around three working days to deliver. I just bought a golf bag, push trolly, little bits and pieces and apparel and saved a bomb.

maiden

All Bar One in Abbey St just announced they are closing too, on their fb page!

Battleflag

CptSternn wrote: »

Dunno if there are any other musicians out there but ye saw Buskers also closed like last week? There is no place in Clare that works audio systems on or rents out gig equipment now.

Don't know how he managed to stay open for so long anyway, his prices were ridiuclous

poppyvally

maiden wrote: »

All Bar One in Abbey St just announced they are closing too, on their fb page!

I saw that! & they have a closing down sale. Probably trying to get rid of stock

Palmach

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

I'm kind of with Palmach even if he didn't argue his point very tactfully.

Thanks for that. On a normal message board with a less self important moderator there would no problem.

There are a ton of really good independent businesses in Ennis that provide stuff at a good price with friendly service. Of course there are others that don't but with so much variety there at the moment it's easy to pick and choose if you're prepared to walk about a bit and check things out.

Correct. On top of comparable value to online there is the human reaction one gets when shopping. The chats with other people the use of all senses when out and about.

I bet you more people would just start doing all their shopping in Lidl or Aldi and forgo the town altogether. .

Who of course should be obliged to charge for parking.

christmas2012

Peoples wages and welfare has been cut,and nothings been done to reduce the prices in shops as one boards.ie member pointed out.
Rents are still too high and parking is extortionate on top of the expense of having a car,people now gravitate more towards online shopping to get bargains or shopping centres with free parking,as its too expensive.
There are very few people out shopping midweek..Shops close down as a result of not enough money in the country,peoples jobs are still being slashed,and pittance schemes like jobbridge are being set up in mid recession which cost even more tax revenue,taking up what could be paid employment,so it means there are even less jobs out there at the moment.No job,job cuts/welfare cuts..No money no shopping..

CiaranMT

Palmach wrote: »

Who of course should be obliged to charge for parking.

Why?

Insect Overlord

Palmach wrote: »

Thanks for that. On a normal message board with a less self important moderator there would no problem.

You were banned a few months ago for making too many snide remarks about other posters. I'd recommend you learn from that experience before you get banned again. Drop the attitude and stick to the point of the thread.

Palmach

CiaranMT wrote: »

Why?

Why should people get free parking at Lidl and not get it when they want to go to a shop in town? Given the laziness of Irish people it puts town centre shops at a disadvantage and in the end encourages doughnut type development.

Carazy

Palmach wrote: »

Why should people get free parking at Lidl and not get it when they want to go to a shop in town?

Lidl own the carpark so is entitled to give free parking to its customers.



What Ennis has and why I think it is turning into a ghost town.

Ennis
-Parking - high prices/short term only and limited spaces.
-Shops - Paying high rates/charging high prices/limited varity
Streets - Overcrouded with cars ( Traders don't want pedestrianisation)
-Limited space with smokers standing outside taking up the footpath.
-Rubbish, the leftovers of the previous nights drinkers at the top of O'Connell street and lower Abbey Street and barely scrubbed off the ground.

Shopping development outside of town (eg Cresent)
-Parking Charges - None and not restricted to run through the town to get what you need within a short timeframe.
-Do not have to dodge traffic/can walk freely around.
-Clean,dry and warm.
-No pubs around taking up the limited walking space.


Ennis does not appeal to me to go shopping what so ever. With the likes of the cresent you can stay happily for the entire day without worrying about parking tickets, do your shopping, eat and even go to the cinema. Going to Ennis is just a pain so I travel the 20minutes to the Cresent for the enjoyment of a day around the shops (Household shopping varies between Tesco and Lidl in Ennis).

Yes I can be considered as one of those who is letting Ennis turn into a ghost town and because of all the reasons I mentioned above.

Palmach

Carazy wrote: »

Shopping development outside of town (eg Cresent)
-Parking Charges - None and not restricted to run through the town to get what you need within a short timeframe.
-Do not have to dodge traffic/can walk freely around.
-Clean,dry and warm.
-No pubs around taking up the limited walking space.
.

So you'd be happy to see Ennis and every other town turn into soulless dormitories which is what you'll get. Less choice and a walmart one size fits all retail experience.

Carazy

Palmach wrote: »

So you'd be happy to see Ennis and every other town turn into soulless dormitories which is what you'll get. Less choice and a walmart one size fits all retail experience.

The experience which Ennis provides at the moment is one which I dislike.The rush which I always have with parking is the biggest downfall which can't be helped.
I'd love for O'Connell street to be pedestrianised. Areas like Strand Street in Douglas on the Isle of man still thrive years after it became pedestrain only.
The Bookshops are about the only place in Ennis town which I enjoy going to during the day.

Palmach

Carazy wrote: »

The experience which Ennis provides at the moment is one which I dislike.The rush which I always have with parking is the biggest downfall which can't be helped.
I'd love for O'Connell street to be pedestrianised. Areas like Strand Street in Douglas on the Isle of man still thrive years after it became pedestrain only.
The Bookshops are about the only place in Ennis town which I enjoy going to during the day.

So why don't they pedestrianize it? Ennis is made for it.

CptSternn

Palmach wrote: »

So why don't they pedestrianize it? Ennis is made for it.

Thats the current ongoing battle. Customers and people living in Ennis love the idea. The shop owners hate it and say it will kill their business if they remove the eight parking spaces on O'Connell street.

Much like their other policies, Ennis shop owners have a 'like it or lump it' attitude which is if you don't like the way they do business, they don't give a rats arse and will openly oppose any member of the public who disagrees with them.

Even when the council took on board the dozens of suggestions from the public to try pedestrianisation on a short term basis the shop owners got together to force the council to stop the plan just a day or two after they tried it.

I have no sympathy for any business which is failing and still continues to fight the public when the public is openly and honestly telling them what needs to change.

Reminds me of that TV show Kitchen Nightmares, when failing restaurants refuse to change even when shown what they are doing wrong all because one owner thinks since they started the business they know whats best, and even when their business is sinking and the public along with other experts call for change, they adamantly oppose it.

I say let them all go under and sooner or later new shops with more user friendly owners will replace them. Owners who will do bold new things like listen to their customers.

Palmach

CptSternn wrote: »

I say let them all go under and sooner or later new shops with more user friendly owners will replace them. Owners who will do bold new things like listen to their customers.

That is simply untrue. Ennis has an excellent range of business and in the main are friendly and provide a good quality of product. That people want to throw that away due to laziness beats me. That is why we need stricter planning to stop out of town shopping centres. Ennis did the smart thing by getting Dunnes to put their front door on the main street. If the shops close it might be a while before any one opens and you'll be left with empty shells on the main street.

Carazy

The attitude that comes across from the traders is that they don't want pedestrianisation and they don't want out of town centres either. The people of Ennis and it's surrounds are suffering due to the ennis chamber and traders attitudes to 'the town'.

Can they see that it is not currently working, and what are they doing to stop their own uncertain death?

Ennis Chamber have a website which is not even working and has not for some time. Promoting business??!? No.
It's the laziness of the chamber/traders fault, some hundred traders can't put the blame on the thousands of potential customers which are avoiding their shops due to all the failures of the town.

CptSternn

Palmach wrote: »

That is simply untrue. Ennis has an excellent range of business and in the main are friendly and provide a good quality of product. That people want to throw that away due to laziness beats me. That is why we need stricter planning to stop out of town shopping centres. Ennis did the smart thing by getting Dunnes to put their front door on the main street. If the shops close it might be a while before any one opens and you'll be left with empty shells on the main street.

Laziness is saying you won't shop somewhere if you have to walk more than half a metre from your car to the front door of the shop. Asking people to park in say the Dunnes multistorey and walk down to a pedastrianised street is the opposite of lazy.

If your only reason we should support businesses which show open animosity towards the public, charges higher prices, and offer less selection is so our town won't have empty shop fronts, I don't see that as a very good argument towards helping any of those traders.

Palmach

CptSternn wrote: »

.
If your only reason we should support businesses which show open animosity towards the public, charges higher prices, and offer less selection is so our town won't have empty shop fronts, I don't see that as a very good argument towards helping any of those traders.

I have never seen any evidence of the above beyond liveline type whinging.

Patrick 74

Lets face it Ennis sucks for shopping in general.Im from west clare and of course i need to shop for food weekly and maybe once or twice a month I need to shop for extra goods like electronics or clothes....Lets start with food basics,of course that will be done in my local shop,that being milk,bread,papers etc..So then I need to do a general food shop and will have to seek out the best value there is which usually means going to Tesco or Lidl or Dunnes simply because thats where the value is.For me that can be done in Kilrush or Ennis...Im sure most people do the same.For some retarded reason people think that you can be landed in the centre of Ennis by some magical public transport and whisked off again back to your house at your ease and will.Bollocks!! I say and that is the way it will remain for the majority of clare people for as long as we live. Doesnt matter what urban or non urban planning you do for ****sake....I want music so I download it...If I want to get my photos done I do it online...maybe I want a sofa for my sitting room ...yeah online please because because one I cant tranport it and of course I couldnt be bothered to wreck my car on the ****ty potholed roads that grace this county...Times have changed people,Ireland is over retailed and over priced and people shop online and just like Ennis retail traders we too work form 8 to 5 and have little time to wonder around town on those silly little footpaths(god forbid you should stop and talk to someone without being shoved onto the road).People just want to get home quick if if that means not having to worry about parking and all you need under one roof so be it....Another point is that Ennis sucks for clothes,fact is all I say..Sorry for the rant but my main point is that shopping habits have changed and thats the way it is.... well maybe the exception is petrol stations....busy little ****ers arent they they.

CiaranMT

Palmach wrote: »

Why should people get free parking at Lidl and not get it when they want to go to a shop in town? Given the laziness of Irish people it puts town centre shops at a disadvantage and in the end encourages doughnut type development.

They own the property. They're entitled to provide free parking, or charge through the nose for it, whichever they prefer.

CptSternn

Palmach wrote: »

I have never seen any evidence of the above beyond liveline type whinging.

I have already cited proof of each of these things in this very thread.

I have plenty more to share if you like.

For example, a few years back when we bought our new LCD HDTV I wanted a Philips 42PFL5603D as it is not only rated with some of the highest standards for viewing but also has the lowest energy usage making it the greenest TV on the market (at the time, that might have changed now). No shop in town had them and I had to get one at PC World.

Not only did I get it at PC World I paid €300 less than any comparable model that was being offered at the shops in town, models that didn't even meet the same standards.

Per the open hostility, the local papers reported on this very well when the shop owners got together and went to the council to overturn the trial run of the pedestrianisation of O'Connell street on a four day basis after the first day. That was a programme put in place by the council at the behest of multiple requests from the public. When you go to the council to have them undo something that numerous members of the public called for and do so by shouting down anyone who disagrees with you, it's safe to say that is quite a hostile attitude the traders took against the local customers.

There is a saying in the states, the customer is always right. There of course are times when you cannot apply this rule but the local traders seem to think just the opposite is true and often and quite openly they act out in the opposite fashion and then wonder why the business in town is drying up.

You cannot dictate to your customers in a free market and expect them to stay your customers. People want pedestrianisation. They want a nice area much like Parnell street to stroll down while shopping. They want to be able to walk without having to fight over a 1/3rd metre strip of footpath, without fighting to get around buggies, without having to worry about stepping off a kerb in front of a car. People want a quiet area which is a bit more calm and inviting rather than an all out battle to get through. Eight parking spaces are NOT by any means the single factor keeping the businesses along that stretch open, no matter what they try and claim.

If they made O'Connell into an area like Parnell, it would allow for many restaurant and pub businesses there to set up outside dining and beer gardens. That alone would draw in more patrons. I would love to see more of this in town, but there is no room for it as it stands now with the streets the way they are. If you create a more hospitable environment which allows people to relax and enjoy their experience in town without having to worry about getting knocked down while fighting for the small amount of footpath that is there and give them areas to take a break while out in town, you will see a difference and it will bring customers back to Ennis.

The alternative is to stay the course and do nothing, which is what they have been doing for years and all that has gotten us is more empty shop fronts and a local public which holds disdain for the traders.

I mean, you also would find less people support the idea of larger shopping centres and stores opening outside the centre in Ennis if the town were a more idyllic place to shop. Many people support the idea of a new Tesco+ because frankly they are sick of the current situation and know the traders will continue to be stubborn and refuse to budge, and thanks to their ties to the council nothing will happen, so the only hope is to open a shopping area outside of the town centre which WILL cater to what the public wants.

It's called progress. Either you give the public what they want and engage in forward progressive thinking to promote business, else you go the way of the dinosaur.

There has to date not been one good reason given that O'Connell street and possibly Abbey street should not be pedestrianised, other than the fact the local traders refuse to even entertain the idea for fear of change. Fear seems to be the only common thread which drives business in town and so far is has the same effect it has everywhere else where it is found to be the only major factor - utter failure.

Patrick 74

^^^^^^^^Well said,you only have to look at Galways shops street.Great vibe and comfort up there.