SLIGO SHOP SHUTS ITS DOORS FOR THE LAST TIME AFTER 70 YEARS
ONE of Sligo town’s oldest institutions has shut up shop with the closure of The Bus Stop sweet shop and newsagents.
Owner Keville Burns retired on Saturday, ending a 70-year presence in the heart of Sligo town.
“I’m very sad about it. Lots of good memories and great friends, it’s hard,” Keville told The Sligo Champion last Friday.
His mother Mona was in an accident on the Strandhill Road back in the 1940’s and invested her com- pensation money wisely into ‘a yard of counter’ and called it The Bus Stop.
“My father was a carpenter with CIE and gave up that job in 1956 and joined her. I was born here and raised above the shop. I’m 63 years here now,” he said.
“It was a very small shop originally and down through the years we extended it. I’ve lived here all my life. It’s more than leaving a business,” he said.
“Independent retailers are struggling. I also think Sligo isn’t doing very well commercially. In the last 20 years Sligo as an urban centre is beginning to lose its status and I think that’s a big problem too.
“There are very few independent stores left in Sligo - Mullaney’s, Moffits, Cosgroves, Jimmy Clarke’s butcher, all from the old Sligo. I think it’s sad to see the town going the way it’s going.
“I just feel it’s time to look after myself now. My parents al-
“My parents taught me that service and respect were very important
ways taught me that service and respect were very important. I like to think that I contributed that down through the years I’ve been here. I think service and respect in the retail industry now is being lost.
“Some of the service is very difficult now in a lot of transactions and companies have lost respect for people and yet they’re their customers!”
Keville is constantly interrupted by well-wishers and loyal customers in to say goodbye. John O’Neill (78) from Ransboro said he’ ll miss both the Bus Stop and Keville. “I loved your sweets”, said one woman. “We’ ll miss your coffee,” said another local office worker.
Keville knows all his customers personally and greets them all by name.
Older customers have stuck with the papers but the young people don’t buy papers or magazines now, according to Keville.
“But people like the sweets. It’s a treat. I don’t believe that sweets lead to obesity - they’re a treat provided they’re taken in moderation.
“I love the smile on people’s faces, that’s what I really love. You have people coming in and they mightn’t have seen a Bullseye or a Clovedrop for 20 years and all of a sudden they’re going back 30,40 years in their head.
“I really enjoy that part of the business, seeing people smile. That was one thing that I really enjoyed,” he said.
Keville noticed that over the years, the Sligo ‘ townies’ have moved out to Coolaney, Riverstown and other villages out the county, resulting in a drop in the residential population of Sligo town. “To me that was one of the great tragedies of the Celtic Tiger, that families moved out,” he said.
Keville can look forward to spending more time with his wife Denise, daughters Sara (Sligo), Louise and David (both in Australia) and supporting his favourite football club (apart from Rovers) Spanish club Valentia.
The next chapter for Keville is the promotion of 19 th century Sligo-born US Congressman William Bourke Cockran. “The one thing we think about Sligo, there’s no unity. William Bourke Cockran was a great unifier in his life-time.
“If the town is to be united, it should get behind Cockran and it will be very, very beneficial to the town,” he added.
His oldest customer Mrs Conboy comes in for a hug. Keville chats to her about her family and her health. “It’s been a pleasure and Keville has been a pleasure to me and so helpful over the years. I can’t say enough about him,” she said.
Both are in tears as she leaves the shop for the last time.