New Shops/Businesses in Bray

zoobizoo

NobodyImportant wrote: »

I see Albert Walk is continuing a very slight uphill trend, Players Casino is finishing their facelift and more railway sleepers have arrived to create raised flowerbeds.

All thanks to the Bray Tidy Towns team of volunteers..... looks great.

Calibos

NobodyImportant wrote: »

Its a pity the site wont be developed anytime soon, but not sure an Aldi was the best thing for the space. Just across from Supervalu and within spitting distance of Lidl. Traffic would also be made worse in that vicinity.

I see Albert Walk is continuing a very slight uphill trend, Players Casino is finishing their facelift and more railway sleepers have arrived to create raised flowerbeds.

With Players I think its a case of 2 steps forward but one step back.

I've long grumbled about the Albert Avenue side of Players and how it dragged down the area somewhat. They extended the interior into the back of all the Shop units on Albert Avenue 10 or 15 years ago and built brick walls right behind the 'Shop Windows' and Metal Shutters but left the decaying facades in place. Sure the walls got a lick of paint every now and again but over the years the Windows have cracked, the shutters have rusted and been kicked and dented etc Despite it being one unified successful business on the inside, on the outside it looked like a series of decades closed shop units, making the area look like a business 'no-go' area.

So this new unifying facade from the Albert Walk entrance around the corner onto Albert Avenue as far as the old Fish Mongers nextdoor to Deveneys is very welcome insofar as it won't look like a string of decaying decades closed shop units.

However!!!! If it matches the facade they did on the Albert walk facing section last year, then one has to admit its a bit 'Tacky' especially if they put any Dot Matrix LED flashing Casino signs on the Albert Avenue frontage like they have on the Albert walk side beside the Entrance. Thats the 'One Step Back' part of my opener.

The fact that the plants have survived the entire Summer is testament to the fact that the bulk of the drunken loudmouth vandalising fcukers that would historically taken that route up to Henry and Rose after the Pubs on the seafront closed are still some Aussies or Canucks problem A fact anecdotally confirmed by folks in most towns across the country where it is said most towns have had noticeably less noise and trouble after closing time when our 'Best and Brightest brick laying class' had to emigrate to the 'colonies' It seems the gentrification of the seafront over the last decade extended to the Pubs down there which despite still being very busy at the weekends, don't seem to generate as much noise and drunken carry on of their patrons on their way home through the surrounding streets after closing time. There is still some obviously but its no where near as bad as it used to be a decade ago.

NobodyImportant

Couldn't agree more, its better than it was, but not the classiest frontage and hopefully it doesn't age poorly either.

You read every week of the Irish getting into trouble in Australia and causing a bad reputation for us.

Dr Strange

Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 Albert Walk are currently up for sale:

http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/3-albert-walk-bray-wicklow/3310008

http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/4-albert-walk-bray-wicklow/3310014

http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/5-albert-walk-bray-wicklow/3310018

http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/6-albert-walk-bray-wicklow/3310022

zoobizoo

Calibos wrote: »

It seems the gentrification of the seafront over the last decade extended to the Pubs down there which despite still being very busy at the weekends, don't seem to generate as much noise and drunken carry on of their patrons on their way home through the surrounding streets after closing time. There is still some obviously but its no where near as bad as it used to be a decade ago.

May also be to do with the fact that the Eclectic Garden/Bac Bar has closed and those in their early twenties have migrated elsewhere to drink

WeleaseWoderick

Looks like Costa are opening a coffee shop in Bray soon (currently advertising job vacancies). Have heard that the shop will be beside Tesco where the butchers were till recently.

Bray must be getting close to the highest number of coffee shops per head in the country at this point!

zoobizoo

I had heard that is was going in to Quinsboro Road at the old National Irish Bank.

While we do have a large number of coffee shops, it's good to see that two national chains have the confidence to set up in the town.

I will stick to the locals for my coffee though.

Annasopra

I think Albert Walk is fantastic now and I would really commend Bray Tidy Towns AND the businesses. There's some lovely little shops in there now.

danois

I see dealz are advertising (on indeed)for a manager for their Bray store. Has anyone any idea where they will be going?

murpho999

danois wrote: »

I see dealz are advertising (on indeed)for a manager for their Bray store. Has anyone any idea where they will be going?

Where Smyths were on Florence Road.

murpho999

At least 2 new chains coming to Bray based on job adverts I found

See below.

Costa Coffee

Holland & Barrett

Can't say I'm mad about these chains turning us into a UK High Street but it's better than empty units and brings jobs.

zoobizoo

While I'm not a fan of either, it shows confidence that there is money to be made in the town.

Hopefully the locals will stick to their local shops - I know I will be.

Ashbx

zoobizoo wrote: »

I will stick to the locals for my coffee though.

Apparently a while back the residence of Dalkey boycotted a Starbucks or Costa that opened in the village. They said it ruined the appeal that Dalkey village had. Needless to say, the coffee shop didn't survive!

I definitely would stick to the local coffee shops rather than the big chains.

danois

murpho999 wrote: »

Where Smyths were on Florence Road.

That will be a huge Dealz. I thought it may be going into city2

murpho999

danois wrote: »

That will be a huge Dealz. I thought it may be going into city2

That was the original rumour months ago and would be a better location for Dealz in my opinion.

Someone told me that Lawlor's chemist who have just closed their Quinsboro Road shop is moving into the City 2 premises.

Find it hard to believe as it would be a huge chemist then.

NobodyImportant

murpho999 wrote: »

Find it hard to believe as it would be a huge chemist then.

And opposite a large Boots.

Dealz going into Smyths superstore last I heard.

g0g

The sign outside Lawlor's suggests they're just doing the place up and will still be there I thought?

fjon

So the three new chain stores that are setting up in Bray are a coffee shop, a pound shop and a health store? Just what we need.

So it looks like H&B will be in City2, Dealz in Smyths, and Costa in the bank building on Quinsboro Road?

Annasopra

At least businesses are showing confidence in Bray and inveting in the Town

George White

The charity shop at Town Hall's reopened.

Whippersnapper

Lloyds Pharmacy is going into the chemist down by Super Valu. Hollands and Barrett is going into City 2. Costa Coffee is going into the old Advance Vision / Butchers at Tesco.

fjon

Whippersnapper wrote: »

Costa Coffee is going into the old Advance Vision / Butchers at Tesco.

Wow, didn't expect that. Not sure that's a great location for them, but it will make the centre look a bit better.

zoobizoo

fjon wrote: »

Wow, didn't expect that. Not sure that's a great location for them, but it will make the centre look a bit better.

2,000 secondary kids within ten minute walk (Pres) and across the road (Loreto), many housing estates close by and footfall from shoppers and parents dropping kids to Patrick's and no competition in the vicinity.

Thargor

Strange choice for Costa but they seem to take the shotgun approach deploying their stores.

g0g

Hope Costa works out. Can't remember there ever being a cafe in that row of units, but am I right in saying Tesco had their own cafe or something down beyond the checkouts at some stage? Rings a bell for some reason.

foxy06

g0g wrote:

Hope Costa works out. Can't remember there ever being a cafe in that row of units, but am I right in saying Tesco had their own cafe or something down beyond the checkouts at some stage? Rings a bell for some reason.

Yeah there was one there that's used as storage now

Thargor

Anyone know if Dealz will be open this weekend?

I was walking around Bray today, and it got me thinking, bar a cinema, what is missing from the streets? We have every type of shop I could think of (that's financially capable of staying open)!

g0g

I dunno, some ideas:
1) Argos?
2) Toy Shop
3) Music Shop (or are these gone forever?)
4) More clothes shops?
5) Mothercare-type shop? (baby stuff, buggies etc)
6) Cinema (you mentioned)
7) Decent Dunnes grocery store
8) Outdoor clothing/stuff type shop (like Great Outdoors, Mountain Warehouse, 53 Degrees North etc)

Maybe a lot of the above are doomed to only existing in retail parks now and work work in the middle of a town.

g0g

g0g wrote: »

I dunno, some ideas:
1) Argos?
2) Toy Shop
3) Music Shop (or are these gone forever?)
4) More clothes shops?
5) Mothercare-type shop? (baby stuff, buggies etc)
6) Cinema (you mentioned)
7) Decent Dunnes grocery store
8) Outdoor clothing/stuff type shop (like Great Outdoors, Mountain Warehouse, 53 Degrees North etc)

Maybe a lot of the above are doomed to only existing in retail parks now and work work in the middle of a town.

Is there no toy shops left? And, I used to work in 2 music shops in Bray, that's a doomed trade I think. Possibly a good record store that had an online presence could work?

Good list though. I especially like no.8 with no army surplus shop either left. With the entrance to Wicklow, that really could be a good money spinner for the right investor.

Edited to add: Tesco express, Dunnes, Super Valu, Aldi, Tesco and Lidl all within a 30 minute walk of each other, I think we're ok on Grocery stores!