W ex ford’ s historic pawn shop to close

March 1980

A business premises which has survived well over one hundred years of Wexford history will be closing its doors to the public in two weeks’ time. In its day, it has hosted a bank, a pawn shop, and lastly, a second-hand clothes shop.

The premises, which has long been known as Coffey’s pawn shop, has stood on the corner of George’s Street for what seems like an eternity. The late Mr Robert Coffey in the early 1920s from a family called Tennant who had carried on a pawnbrokers there since the 1850s. It had originally been a bank under a family called Hatchill.

Paddy Nolan will be well-known to everyone as the man behind the counter in Coffey’s, and it is now over 40 years since he began his apprenticeship as a pawnbroker. He remembers well the early years when the dark interior of the shop was a hive of activity, featuring bicycles, clothing, watches and other items that people had left in ‘on pawn’.

‘We used to do colossal business at one time, but when social services were improved, people didn’t need to pawn their belongings as much any more,’ Paddy comments.

‘People pawned literally anything in the early days. I remember one day a fella came in and left a pair of shoes across the counter. As he was going out the door, I saw that he had no shoes on his feet. There was a law that time that said you couldn’t let a man go out of a pawnbroker’s shop without clothing. But when I ran out the door after him, he was gone. Often too, a man would come in and take off his shirt, and go back onto the street in just his waistcoat.’

Another man who was associated with Coffey’s, and who, too, has become as much of an institution as the place itself, is Davy Tobin. He actually served his time with the family who began the pawnbrokers business in the premises. However, we forced to retire from Coffey’s a year ago through ill health. But he is always nearby, as he lives just next door.

These are just two of the people who will sadly miss the old shop when the last sale is made on March 29th. As David Tobin commented, ‘sure we were practically reared in the place’.

Coffey’s pawn shop will be missed too by the many regulars who went there faithfully every week to have a chat and a smoke, and to look at the latest bargains.

The many young people for whom Coffey’s meant the latest selection of army jackets will also miss it. However, in recent months these have been in short supply.

This is one of the reasons why Coffey’s is closing down. It has become increasingly difficult to source stock in recent years. The other reason could well be described as affluence. As Paddy explained, ‘ there is not much demand for the business any more.

‘People are better off, and the social services are better. Money is much more widely available from different sources. That’s probably a good thing overall, but closing will be a sad day for us all the same.’