Is Ennis turning into a ghost town?

love not hate

I drive from kilrush to limerick every two weeks to do my shopping. Plenty of parking and good selection of shops means the extra few miles are worth it. Free parking at Tesco and dunnes on the ennis road means I don't have to go into the city if I don't want to. Support local shops in kilrush as much as possible but find Ennis very expensive and lacking in choice.

mel.b

love not hate wrote: »

I drive from kilrush to limerick every two weeks to do my shopping. Plenty of parking and good selection of shops means the extra few miles are worth it. Free parking at Tesco and dunnes on the ennis road means I don't have to go into the city if I don't want to. Support local shops in kilrush as much as possible but find Ennis very expensive and lacking in choice.

Why do you drive to Limerick to do your grocery shopping when there is a big tesco in Kilrush? (I'm not having a go at you, just wondering?)

love not hate

I just find that there are always bits and pieces that you need and the choice is better in limerick

Palmach

Patrick 74 wrote: »

.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....

Another rant with no proof offered.

Palmach

mel.b wrote: »

Why do you drive to Limerick to do your grocery shopping when there is a big tesco in Kilrush? (I'm not having a go at you, just wondering?)

Maybe some people have principles and prefer not to give their money to a vast multinational juggernaut that annihilates all retail around them like a retail atom bomb.

Clareman

If you have a problem with a post, report it. Leave the moderating to the mods as well.

Carazy

Palmach wrote: »

Maybe some people have principles and prefer not to give their money to a vast multinational juggernaut that annihilates all retail around them like a retail atom bomb.

When the traders of Ennis go to the effort to entice shoppers to the town then I'm sure lots of people will.

The anti-pedestrian attidude is their own ideal and it's not working. Until they get their head around that and do something about it I and many others will continue to go to large multi nationals.

The whole 'feel sorry' for the traders and stop giving all the money to the large multinationals is all well and good and I agree with it BUT until their is something done to make the shopper want to go to Ennis for the comfort of shopping then the shops in Ennis will lose out. They are just doing nothing to entice shoppers.

dr.fuzzenstein

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=79018828&postcount=120

^^^^Should be printed out, posted in every shopwindow, published in the paper, mailed to the council, the chamber of commercial ruination and handed out as flyers to pedestrians in Ennis as they fight for space on a way to narrow footpath.
The traders have decided to take a stance and not budge from it.
Probably most of them don't know anymore how they arrived at the conclusion that pedestrianization was such a terrible thing or who suggested it was bad in the first place, but now they have dug their heels in and stuck the head in the sand and have committed themselves to just bleating "No!" with the herd.
The problem with that is that you cannot back down from your position if you've gone that far without a perceived loss of face. So they have to stick with it, regardless of sense, reason, public opinion, potential financial gain, the betterment of the town or what even their own brain is trying to tell them.
So it's fingers in ears and "Lalalalalalalaaaaaaaa! I can't hear you!"
But let's face it, Ennis just isn't a very progressive town. Anything too radical, new, unusual, big, loud, colorful or progressive scares the majority of people there witless, panic sets in and the "Down with that sort of thing!" brigade swings into action.
This town doesn't like change, in any direction, so can we arrange for everything to stay exactly like it was around 1990 for the rest of time?
That'd be grand.

Palmach

Carazy wrote: »

When the traders of Ennis go to the effort to entice shoppers to the town then I'm sure lots of people will.

The anti-pedestrian attidude is their own ideal and it's not working. Until they get their head around that and do something about it I and many others will continue to go to large multi nationals.

The whole 'feel sorry' for the traders and stop giving all the money to the large multinationals is all well and good and I agree with it BUT until their is something done to make the shopper want to go to Ennis for the comfort of shopping then the shops in Ennis will lose out. They are just doing nothing to entice shoppers.

I don't "feel sorry" for anyone but I make the effort to support local businesses. I don't expect anyone to pay over the odds for anything but likewise I despise the lazy attitude of heading to Tesco where the prices may or not be better but it means lazy people can park outside the door. All this to send money out of the economy to a giant multinational with all the attendant social, environmental and economic problems that go along with such laziness.

"WAAA! WAAAA! The shops in Ennis are horrible!" Is all I have read. There are some great shops in Ennis with some great people involved. It requires a little of effort to support your local town. Even that is too much for some people on this thread.

For the record I support pedestrianization but it seems most people don't want it. If people put pressure on the council they would change it knowing the Clare political parish pumpers like I do. It seems most people do not.

dr.fuzzenstein

It's really simple.
This is how it should look like:




And this is how it currently is:




You will find me in picture one, but not in picture two.
It seems that the traders do not understand the difference and that will be their downfall.

poppyvally

That you stepping up to the kerb in the front left?

MyKeyG

Palmach wrote: »

I don't "feel sorry" for anyone but I make the effort to support local businesses.

If they're not willing to make an effort with my pocket why the hell should I make one with theirs? It's a simple question so why can't you give us a simple answer?

Could it be you don't have one? I think so.

There's only one shop in Ennis at the moment that as far as I can see is making the effort to meet customers in the middle and that's my local Centra. Their prices are almost if not as good as Dunnes and Tesco.

cynder

Just heard that curleys furniture is gone :eek:

Run_to_da_hills

grindelwald wrote: »

Just heard that curleys furniture is gone :eek:

They have curled up.

Claregirl

More info here in the Galway thread hope no one had anything on deposit

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056673271

maiden

Curley has a lot of houses in town and they were taken or given back to the bank, an asset company have them.

When the estate committee rang the company that looked after his houses they were told they no longer looked after them and gave them the number of the asset management company, who in turn said they wouldnt be letting out our selling his properties in the near future, that was about 2 years ago.

The houses are still empty.

buck65

Renault garage on the Gort Road closed as well I hear!

Clareman

Folks,

Just a reminder that speculating to the status of a business can have a negative (and positive) impact, please do not report on hearsay or speculation and where possible back up your comments with links.

Thanks

poppyvally

Claregirl wrote: »

More info here in the Galway thread hope no one had anything on deposit

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056673271

http://www.clareherald.com/news/151-business-a-finance/4010-fears-for-jobs-at-ennis-furniture-store.html


the place beside Jimmy Brohan (Linnane) has a sale or to let sign on it

buck65

Fair enough point mod, but the news has been reported on the radio at this stage and I heard it from a reputable source before i posted.

Clareman

Wasn't directed at you buck65, just a reminder to everyone, unfortunately I know first hand what a massive impact a business closing can have to a family and I've seen a lot of threads have idle speculation in them that can impact a business, imagine you heard a hotel was closing, no-one would book a wedding there next year, which can impact their business

Mr. G

I haven't been bothered to look through the whole forum, so excuse me if this has been said before.

Ennis is a brilliant town, if your not happy about it suggest ways to fix it. We all should be proud for our town.:o

dr.fuzzenstein

Mr_Grumpy wrote: »

I haven't been bothered to look through the whole forum, so excuse me if this has been said before.

Ennis is a brilliant town, if your not happy about it suggest ways to fix it. We all should be proud for our town.:o

OK, got one.
Was in a similar sized town in Germany where parking was free the first 30 minutes.
Simply go up to the ticketing machine and press the ticket button and it will dispense a ticket for that duration.
Should you wish to stay longer, insert money to do so, which still includes the first half hour.
Simple and brilliant.
Now it has to be said that the long term car park in Glor already offers a similar service, in fact parking is free for the first hour, after which you will need a ticket.
Also brilliant, but maybe this could be extended to some other car parking facilities around town?

CptSternn

Is Toymaster closed? I've been by there three times in the past week and they have not been open. I don't know if I have just been unlucky or if they are gone.

maiden

I was in there yesterday! Toymaster def still open

Clareman

I think you might have quoted the wrong post there maiden

maiden

oooooops!!!! I did, i was on my phone will edit now thanks!!

poppyvally

I see Homeworld, the discount shop in Parnell st. has a "for sale", sign on it, also K.G's hair fashion and Mods & Mini's the childrens clothes shop in O'Connell St. Sadly, Ennis could very well become a ghost town, I dont see any changes for the better in the not too distant future

Clareman

Great news for the area with Roche being retained

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0626/400-jobs-secured-at-roche-plant-in-clare.html

dr.fuzzenstein

This is a pic I posted a while back of O'Connel Street and wouldn't it be lovely if it was for people instead of cars.




Well, it was done (a few weeks ago) and I can only say it was brilliant:



Should be like this every day. I actually found myself wandering around, looking at shops instead of just rushing up and down, trying to get through this street as fast as I could.
According to the traders, the second picture should be completely devoid of people, because they couldn't drive their car up to the door.
Seems pretty alright to me.