Everest Cycles is back in business following devastating fire
IT’S been a difficult few months for Tommy Hanratty, owner of Everest Cycles. Since his shop on Castle Street burned down in July of this year, he has been as he put it ‘ to hell and back’ however, he was quick to get back in the saddle and at the start of the month he officially opened a new state of the art shop on the Dublin Road, just behind Lidl.
‘ The whole thing was an absolute nightmare,’ said Tommy. ‘It was a real struggle to keep going. We lost everything in the fire and had to replace customers’ bikes that were destroyed and all that kind of thing.’
The fire began at a disused warehouse near the old Everest Cycles premises and spread to the roof. While firefighters were quick to arrive, there were difficulties fighting the blaze.
‘I had to run upstairs and wake my mate out of the bed,’ said Tommy. ‘When I got back down the firefighters wouldn’t let me back in to get anything. Not even the till, which had over €2,500 in cash in it.’
It was a struggle for Tommy to keep going, however, he acquired the current premises behind Lidl shortly after the fire and continued trading.
‘When we first moved in here it was an awful hole,’ he said. ‘ To go from that “ground zero” to the beautiful shop we have now has been amazing. I’m absolutely delighted. It didn’t happen by itself either. Without the support of the people keeping us going, we couldn’t have done it. Our customers have been brilliant. We had a lot of help from ourselves and put a lot of work in ourselves, but it’s all been worth it to get to this point.’
Bray Wheelers were among the first visitors to the new shop as they had a cycle to the shop for the official re-opening recently. As well as impressing the regulars, the shop has also welcomed a famous face or two, with renowned songstress Mary Black paying a visit.
Tommy is now delighted to have the new, improved and fully functioning Everest Cycles open just in time for the Christmas rush.