New Shops/Businesses in Bray

Dr Strange

zoobizoo wrote: »

Ledwidge's is back open.

Yes, I think they are just selling off the remaining stock after the funeral and probate now. I wonder what will happen to the shop/house itself after that?

zoobizoo

Preusse wrote: »

Yes, I think they are just selling off the remaining stock

I know... I bought an anchor and all of my presents for Christmas.

Dr Strange

zoobizoo wrote: »

I know... I bought an anchor and all of my presents for Christmas.

Good idea! Will have a look tomorrow.

insomniac86

I noticed KFC closed with the sign taken down and bin bags to cover the windows. No To Let sign so I'm not sure if it's closed down or closed for refurbishment.

George White

it's empty, electric wiring out.

Whippersnapper

The Mexican place is gone from the Albert Walk too.

Thargor

I was feeling a bit optimistic at the start of the Summer but there are a serious amount of empty and shuttered units around downtown now, getting very grim down there.

Calibos

Dunno how public the news is yet but a prominent Bray Chipper is in receivership. Very sad. Fcuking Banks!! :mad:

Fun Palace is being run by the Freeneys from the Star on behalf of the receivers. If it ends up closing I can't see the building remaining idle for too long though. Hopefully not another slot machine emporium though.

skibum

Calibos wrote: »

Dunno how public the news is yet but a prominent Bray Chipper is in receivership. Very sad. Fcuking Banks!! :mad:

Is it located near the Dart station? Hope not....

zoobizoo

skibum wrote: »

Is it located near the Dart station? Hope not....

After all the money they make from charging for ketchup?!? I would doubt it.

You know, if the Fun Palace did close as a Gambling Venue, it would make a great site for a couple more restaurants.

Calibos

skibum wrote: »

Is it located near the Dart station? Hope not....

No.

zoobizoo wrote: »

After all the money they make from charging for ketchup?!? I would doubt it.

You know, if the Fun Palace did close as a Gambling Venue, it would make a great site for a couple more restaurants.

My thoughts and preference exactly.

I'd love it if Players picked up the extra business and with some extra cash floating around they might be prepared to redo their facades on Albert Avenue. i.e. They've already extended the interior into all the 'units' on Albert Avenue. It's block walls right behind the glass and rusting dented metal shop shutters. Leaving the old 'locked up' shop-fronts in place for the last 15 years makes it look like a business nogo area.

If Ianrod Eireann have no plans to develop the car park anymore (they'll always have planning objections as long as they persist with the idea of putting competing shops to local businesses in the proposed units along the east side of Albert Walk) It would be great if they let all the Albert Walk units do what Pizza 'N' Cream did years ago and excavate the sloped Tarmac banks and put in permanent seating. Albert Walk is a lot quieter after the pubs close these days than in decades. (Part of the gentrification trend of the seafront area??) for example the art gallery/coffee place that opened (not the new corner place) has seats outside on the walk itself and there's often 10 or 15 people sitting there or on the Tarmac bank chatting and drinking coffee. Creates a nice vibe on the walk. Wouldn't it be great if as a result the empty units in the walk filled up with little restaurants and coffee shops etc and the Albert Avenue/Walk/Aquarium area became Brays Restaurant Quarter.

zoobizoo

What were the plans for the Carpark?

It would be great to see the derelict houses on the Albert walk (Opposite the shops, behind the wall / slope) knocked and developed.

Also, it would be great if Dublin Bus sold their land and moved up to the Southern Cross or somewhere allowing that area also to be developed.

We really are blessed with the Campo / Carpe Diem options in Bray. It's what McDowell was proposing years ago. Was there Friday night and it's just so casual. Never any drunk people (despite booze being available), never any trouble and just two really nice places to hang out.

The more options like that the better.

Calibos

IIRC plans were submitted about 2006 for a Multistory park and ride carpark (No problem with that) with shop units the full length of the east/seaward side of the Albert walk (No Problem with that either). Then some bright spark in the Arch Vis department thought it would be a great idea to pick one of every type of local business within a few hundred yards and put them in the shop units in the planning proposal drawings. So every takeaway, coffeeshop, newsagent, butcher etc etc in the area objected to the planning application.

I don't mind the Bus Depot so much but would love if the storage Facility on the other side of Carpe Diem was gone. Warehouse is a bit ugly never mind the rubbish and detritus and rusting shipping container out front.

Dr Strange

Calibos wrote: »

Dunno how public the news is yet but a prominent Bray Chipper is in receivership. Very sad. Fcuking Banks!! :mad:
.

Must be this one as it is on Myhome: http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/97-strand-road-bray-co-wicklow/2835463

This one is also up? http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/albert-walk-bray-co-wicklow/1615984

Creamy Goodness

Preusse wrote: »

Must be this one as it is on Myhome: http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/97-strand-road-bray-co-wicklow/2835463

this was coming, used to be queues out the door when I was a young lad (before the revamp). I haven't been back since the revamp.

This one is also up? http://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/albert-walk-bray-co-wicklow/1615984

say it ain't so pizza n'cream is the best pizza in Bray

Dr Strange

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

say it ain't so pizza n'cream is the best pizza in Bray

Yes, only saw it now but must have been up for a while.

greglfc

I know there seems like a lot of coffee shops in Bray but they all serve average food and coffee at best, especially in the main street area. Myself an my girlfriend are always stuck for places to go for a nice lunch or cup of coffee. It's amazing to think about Greystones as a smaller town with much better choices and nicer places.

When you think about it there is no place to have a healthy or organic lunch / breakfast in and the town is crying out for one! Surely such a place would do well.

zoobizoo

skibum wrote: »

Is it located near the Dart station? Hope not....

greglfc wrote: »

I know there seems like a lot of coffee shops in Bray but they all serve average food and coffee at best, especially in the main street area. Myself an my girlfriend are always stuck for places to go for a nice lunch or cup of coffee. It's amazing to think about Greystones as a smaller town with much better choices and nicer places.

Campo Deli and Carpe Diem do good food and good coffee.. Mamma Mia on the Main St is good for food and coffee too.

greglfc

zoobizoo wrote: »

Campo Deli and Carpe Diem do good food and good coffee.. Mamma Mia on the Main St is good for food and coffee too.

Yeah they are nice places. They are all Italian food places though which is great but I think it would be nice to have a high quality alternative in the town too.

murpho999

greglfc wrote: »

Yeah they are nice places. They are all Italian food places though which is great but I think it would be nice to have a high quality alternative in the town too.

Agree there could definitely be more.

Whilst the Italian places are great we need more variety.

The coffee shops are grand (I like Finbees for coffee) but the food is poor, just sandwiches and muffins.

Betelnut is not bad but menu is limited and overpriced.

Gourmet Cafe which is new and busy is by no means gourmet and is a glorified greasy spoon.

Liz Anne's and Molloy's average at best and lots of food under hot lamps.

My favourites now outside Campo are Platform Pizza and also Ocean Cafe bar next door.

I do wish Bray had the selection that Greystones or even Dun Laoghaire has though.

I'm curious about the new gastro pub opening where Olde Bray Inn was but fear for its future.

zoobizoo

You'll be delighted to hear that the Porterhouse is opening its Port House tapas bar upstairs shortly.

I've been to the one in town and it's pretty good.

murpho999

zoobizoo wrote: »

You'll be delighted to hear that the Porterhouse is opening its Port House tapas bar upstairs shortly.

I've been to the one in town and it's pretty good.

Interesting that. The Porterhouse and Port House are not the same business are they?

Been to the one in Dundrum twice and have not been that impressed to be honest, wonder if the one in town is better.

zoobizoo

Same business yeah - they own Pinxto as well... I like the one in town on South William St.

WeleaseWoderick

New coffee place after opening up next door to the Harbour Bar. Haven't been in yet but looks like they've done a decent job on the renovations of the building.

Calibos

With regard to Greystones being foodie and coffee shop heaven, I think my theory about Bray voiced in another few threads applies. i.e. That the demographic Bray attracted for the last 20-25 years and the image of the town it created in the minds of outsiders as well as some locals was not conducive to cafe/quality restaurant culture. No one thought there was a market for them. Then in 2006 the Darts are closed every weekend for an entire Summer, Dublins finest had to find new playgrounds for their riotous behaviour like Howth and Portmarnock, and they never came back en masse. The Seafront area has since become pretty much gentrified, people not aware of Brays previous image love the place and whaddaya know, restaurants and coffee shops start opening up all over the place.

Gentrification started that year in 2006 and accelerated and is really kicking into a higher gear now. We're just playing catchup with Greystones now.

Continuing the theme about Brays image. I looked at population and crime statistics comparing areas of Dublin and whole towns with similar geographical and population size to Bray. Keep in mind Bray is the 9th largest Urban area in the Country after Dublin,Cork,Limerick,Galway,Dundalk,Drogheda and Swords. We actually have 10-20% lower crime levels than everywhere except Galway. We are demonstrably a safer place than most in the country. There are several reasons why what local criminal elements we do have are more visible but I believe the main cause of Bray for the last few decades having an image of one of the least safe areas despite it actually being one of the most safe areas, is that every visitor to the town and seafront on a Sunny day were surrounded by a sea of Dublins Finest and assumed the town was like this 24/7/365.

Gentrification Baby!!

Thargor

Ridiculous amount of coffee places now tbh and still nowhere to get a decent cheap lunch or breakfast, I predict this Winter will see a massive cull of most of the places mentioned in the last 4 pages here.

zoobizoo

Thargor wrote: »

Ridiculous amount of coffee places now tbh and still nowhere to get a decent cheap lunch or breakfast, I predict this Winter will see a massive cull of most of the places mentioned in the last 4 pages here.

Ocean does a good reasonably priced breakfast. Full Irish with tea or coffee for 7.95. Think Stone's Throw cafe do also.

What's reasonably priced for you?

Pizza in Campo is pretty reasonable - as are the pasta dishes..

zoobizoo

The Port House opens above the Porterhouse this Friday.

I happened to be lucky enough to get a sample of one of their Gin & Tonic bowls on Saturday night - as well as some tapas. Quality stuff. New tables lined along the balcony too.

Bray seems to be getting a bit foodie these days ....

insomniac86

Noticed yet another E-Cig shop opened up right beside Lawlors on the Quinsboro Road.

gian

insomniac86 wrote: »

I noticed KFC closed with the sign taken down and bin bags to cover the windows. No To Let sign so I'm not sure if it's closed down or closed for refurbishment.

I thnk it was closed due to sanitation issues that finally caught up.

heres one...

http://www.eumom.ie/forums/topic/kfc-disgusting-what-we-found-in-our-food/