Tralee thread

Igotadose

Well, that mall that Abrakebabra was in, is the definition of grim these days. Dark, lots of empty shops and the shops that are open - used books and vaping as I last recall, aren't exactly exciting. Maybe ditch the mall idea entirely, convert the whole space to an office building or flats or something. But it's grim and dark and not inviting.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586197#Comment_120586197

I remember not all that long ago most, if not all, those units being full both up and down stairs.

An issue imo is the likes of the council, Chamber etc are only interested in tech or food businesses that actually end up going nowhere.

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586380#Comment_120586380

I must ask, and I am not trying to wind you up, but we've been visiting Tralee regularly since moving to the Dingle Peninsula in 2015. Almost every time we go to the downtown, and I've never seen that facility 'mostly full.' It seems like it's been half empty all the time - I don't recall the upstairs ever having anything.

But, the design is so bad. So dark; Melbourne, Australia can do a very good job with 'enclose arcades' of shops, but they have sunlight. Not so much in Ireland.

Don't get me started about that Council. Beauty pageants, ugh!

phormium

It's a hell of a long time since that arcade was mostly full! Possible mid/late 80s? I do remember it being thriving, used to buy a lot of clothes in Ger's Casuals, hairdresser upstairs, great little diy shop opposite Rex's cake shop, Downtown Delly, cafe in the middle, Tylers I think at the entrance plus many more but that is a long time ago!

I often thought it would make a good place to group food places with seating area in the middle, kind of a food court with shops/takeaways etc sort of with a Cork English market vibe with all the non chain type places like organic veg shop/little cheese place/convivium etc/market stall type places but Tralee too small to support that sort of idea. There is a very limited market for 'farmers market' type prices in Tralee and those suppliers have to charge those prices to make any money so I fear it would be near empty!

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586863#Comment_120586863

The bottom floor was still full in the mid to late 2000s from what i remember. It's the last 10 years it's really started to go down hill.

On the subject of new town cente businesses i seen there's yet another Vape shop in the mall 🙄

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587977#Comment_120587977

In slightly related news, the vape shop that opened on Orchard Lane in Dingle a few months ago, is closed. Never got going. None of us Dingle types are sad to see it go, seemed like a really bad idea at the time and, yep, it was.

phormium

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587977#Comment_120587977

Might have still been full downstairs at that stage but not with much of the good, I'm gone from working in town centre since around 2008 and it wasn't great for a good while before that.

Saw the Vape shop, couldn't believe we needed another one!

dominatinMC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587991#Comment_120587991

Good. Vape shops and mobile phone shops are a blight on the retail landscape. The cynic in me doubts the legitimacy of a lot of those type of shops

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120588370#Comment_120588370

Yeah there's a phone shop on the corner of John Street/the Strand/Main street l in Dingle that's new-ish and also doesn't seem to be doing such great business either. One does have to wonder what's up with these places, at least a phone repair place in Dingle will have some synergy with the tourist trade. Not so much a vape shop, though.

xxyyzz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586863#Comment_120586863

There's a food court going in next to surf 'n sail in the abbey carpark. Construction will start towards the end of the summer. From what I've heard of who's moving in there, it will be fantastic.

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120588445#Comment_120588445

Tell! Who is moving in?

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120588349#Comment_120588349

There was talk of Rock Street Post Office moving in there a few years ago but nothing happened. That might have given it a bit of life again. Since the hairdressing place in the middle went it's really been the end of it.

I thought the Vape shop phase had stopped but it seems to be back again. There was another phone shop actually next to the Shopping Centre that can't hve been open more than 3 months. As someone else said there has to be something more to them. Off the top of my head from Russell Street to Castle Street there must be about 10 of them now.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120588370#Comment_120588370

Like any business there's a certain demand for them but nowhere to justify the amount of them there is. Castleisland and Listowel are two towns full of them now as well.

Ciarrai76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120588455#Comment_120588455

Its the same guys who own Surf & Sail

Ciarrai76

The majority of the arcade was bought by an investor a good few years ago, and they are basically sitting and waiting for any remaining owners to sell up shop! Don't know what their plans are for the place, but they are not in a rush and probably will just gut it when they finally get full control of it!

Ciarrai76

I think the vape shop that opened in the mall has just moved from inside the shopping arcade and is the same owner. So technically not a new business.

lordleitrim

I'm cynical of most of those phone repair shops too but I have to say the one on Castle Street next to Permanent TSB called Techneek is brilliant with the friendliest and most helpful staff. The town only needs 2 or 3 of those shops at the most. The business case for the rest of them is questionable at best!

Just on Tralee SC, I left Tralee in the mid 90s to go to college elsewhere and it was a dying centre even then. Gers Casuals, Dallas, Saxone shoes and the central cafe Smittys had all abandoned it by then. Its not fit for purpose for modern retailing.

g1983d

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586380#Comment_120586380

I wouldn't say they are only interested in those particular business types, they don't decided what does or doesnt open and they dont open businesses themselves either.

It's all down to people who decide they want to take a punt and open their own business and fair play to them for trying.

The issue I see is that once anyone sees a particular business type doing well 10 more jump on the bandwagon and open their own version of that business to the detriment or them all.

Existing business are really struggling with costs like wages, rates, electricity and insurance. Even if they can cover all of those they then have to put up with anti social behaviour and other drains on their business.

There are a lot of issues there but none of them insurmountable if all the people and agencies work together but therein lies the main problem for Tralee.

People tend to pull in their own direction rather than pulling together.

Every idea or effort for change is talked about in a negative tone and only succeeds despite of all of that or gets a told you so if it fails.

Take the Christmas markets and events last Christmas.

I think everyone was pleasantly surprised at how good it was for the atmosphere and bysinesses of the town and yet here we are less than 6 months later talking down the chamber.

The chamber I understand organised and planned that whole Christmas in Tralee event which I assume they had to get funding for.

I wonder how their application for funding for this year's event will be viewed if all the people who grant the funding are hearing is how bad the chamber is?

We need to work together in Tralee come up with ideas or support those with ideas rather than be hurlers on the ditch.

#rantover :-)

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120589619#Comment_120589619

I've sai before my main issue with the Chamber is they take credit for everything that happens in Tralee even if they had nothing to do with it. In the past they've triedto take credit for the Rose of Tralee!

g1983d

I don't really recall that, I often see them welcoming something, lobbying for something, relyaing information about some event or lending some support to an event.

Maybe it's the relaying information about an event, for instance they may say something about a gaa game, obviously they are not the gaa and have nothing to do with organising a big game in tralee but I guess they try to build excitement and a bit if a buzz around events like that to bring extra people into the town of a day to spend money with businesses.

I don't know, I'm not in the chamber and don't know how it works but looking from the outside it looks like they are trying something at least I guess

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120590246#Comment_120590246

Just a few examples from the past. A few years ago they had a big announcement about, i think it was Amazon , working from home jobs. Made out they more or less single handedly brought all these jobs to Tralee etc What wasn't said was it was Amazon who went to them and every other Chamber about these jobs. When it turn out the jobs actually weren't anything like the Chamber made out and no one applied they just pretended like it didn't happen.

The ol Dunnes in the Mall before Elverys moved in. They failed time and time again to get anyone in there and then took credit for Elverys moving in there despite the fact they had been in the Mall for years.

There's many other examples.

g1983d

I kind if agree with you, those amazon jobs were a work from home gig before everyone was working from home. I would say that everyone involved in the chamber since the is new and I feel they are doing a better job.

The dunnes thing I'm not sure they could do much about, they didn't own it, they are not estate agents and they don't run businesses and I don't think dunnes particularly wanted anyone in it like so many of their other old stores around ireland.

All in all I see your point but think tralee chamber 2.0 is doing an ok job with what they have

manoverboards

They are a business membership organisation, so no surprise if their main objective is promoting their member's businesses, there could be a business in town doing something really progressive but if they are a not a member they get no recognition/promotion.

It's is totally understandable, if I am a business who pays fees to the group, how happy am I going to be if the group are promoting the great stuff that my competitors are doing for the town.

bobdcow

late to the party but...i noticed Abra being closed and asked the caretaker over the weekend - he said they were gutting the place out and it was closed down. It's a pity and hopefully they could re open somewhere.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120597968#Comment_120597968

Well in the past from business owers i know they said they never did that. You only heard from them when it was time to renew membership.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598644#Comment_120598644

I walked by on Friday and it looked as if it was closed. No opening hours signs up or anything.

lordleitrim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598644#Comment_120598644

Maybe it's a sign of something bigger where the landlord chose not to let Abra renew the lease as it might be looking to do something with the entire centre? I'm pretty certain all the other units apart from the shoe repair place (which i believe is the only original tenant left in the place) are just on temporary leases and can be terminated fairly quickly.

Hard to know as the place has been stuck in a stalemate for decades...

phormium

Is it big enough for an M&S if you gutted it? 😁 No space for deliveries though really.

g1983d

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599084#Comment_120599084

I'd say like any organisation you get out what you put in, aside from the money of course :-) that only goes in

All joking aside, I think paying membership is one thing but then being involved in working groups or committees or whatever they do is where the value comes.

I know the place I work is involved in a national grouo and like that they membership but if theu didn't involve themselves in the working groups there would be no value

g1983d

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599944#Comment_120599944

That would be nice to see something decent going in there but hard to see as there's very store frontage to make a store like m&s stand out

Here's hoping though