Open for Business A new six-part RTÉ series looks at how small businesses coped during lockdown. Donal O’Donoghue reports
In the wake of the lockdown, what next for small businesses? Donal O’Donoghue gets the stories of some local enterprises in Ennis that feature in a new TV series
A er the lockdown comes the reopening. Open for Business, a studio-based show presented by Richard Curran and Ella McSweeney, is a new sixpart RTÉ series chronicling how small and medium businesses coped during the lockdown as well as o ering information and advice to guide businesses, employers, employees and consumers in these uncertain times. Some predict that as many as 9000 small businesses will fold during an imminent ‘economic Ice Age’ but there is no shortage of innovation, ambition and positivity among those battling to stay a oat. Open for Business, part of RTÉ’s overarching #BoostMyBusiness, taps into that community.
Last week I remotely stopped by a number of businesses in Ennis, all of which feature in
Open for Business. e County Boutique on O’Connell Street has been in operation for 54 years, founded by Merty Phelan and now run by her daughters, Maeve and Gwen. Not far away, at Woodquay, is Bridget Haren Hair & Beauty salon, cutting and styling since 2009. And three generations of Collins Jewellers, including Christy, who founded the shop with his wife Loyola, are also back in business a few doors down from e County Boutique. All three have lockdown stories that echo so many others across the country.
“ e lockdown totally devastated the business,” says Maeve Culligan of e County Boutique. “We did have an online presence but it was essentially geared towards dressywear like weddings and communions. With the lockdown all of that stopped. We knew we had to change tack.” e family home was recon gured, the mother’s old sewing machine was dusted down, daughters were recruited for upcyling, and videos were posted online where the focus shi ed from occasion to casual wear. ey also continued with Vintage Suitcase, a clever idea where they delivered clothes to the homes of customers, adhering to all the government guidelines. “It’s the way forward,” says Maeve of the COVID-enforced changes. “But as ever we will try and keep it quirky and let our personality shine through our online store as well.”
And just down the road is Collins Jewellers, a family business established in 1973. Christy Collins (81) still works in the shop alongside son Tadg (50) and grandson Tim (18): skilled cra smen of bespoke pieces. “We were working but not generating any revenue,” says Tadg of lockdown. “We have an online presence but did very little business on it to be honest. ere were birthdays and anniversaries but people seemed to be more interested in paint and barbecues than jewellery. When we reopened on June 8, I was pleasantly surprised by business even without any tourists. And this week we are launching a new online shop, one as good as our bricks and mortar one.” Bridget Haren Hair & Beauty, which employs ten sta , reopened on June 29, having closed on March 14. Haren, an award-winning stylist and savvy businesswoman, has run her own salon since 2009 but the lockdown was uncharted waters. Just before lockdown she was planning a whole new social media strategy: the pandemic accelerated that. “My sitting room was turned into a lm studio where I shot how-to tutorials on how to use di erent products,” says Bridget. “So we’re selling our own product as well as boosting the pro le of the salon and keeping in contact with clients. We also set up a new system selling e-vouchers online and now you can also do a consultation online before coming to the salon.”
All three businesses anticipated that the lockdown would last no more than a few weeks. “Initially, thinking it would be for two weeks or so, I got screens installed and modi ed accordingly,” says Bridget Haren. Like many others adaptations, exploiting social media proved crucial to survival, and staying sane. “We’re not going anywhere,” says Maeve Culligan. “We’re here for the long haul.” It’s a sentiment echoed elsewhere in Ennis. “You will never be as convenient as someone pressing that ‘buy’ button online,” says Tadg Collins. “But what you do have is that social interaction, that personal service. And while none of us has a crystal ball I’m very con dent that we will keep going. We’ve been here nearly 50 years, we hope to be here for another 50.”