Re: Re: O’ Connell Street, Dublin

On a recent trip to Istanbul a friend of mine commented on the degree to which businesses there ‘stuffed their windows’ with all sorts of lovely things to entice customers in. We seem to have lost the art of enticing customers through quality shopfronts and window displays… and we (as customers) perhaps seem to have forgotten how we like to be enticed!

The coffee shop on the corner had quite a nice fitout and an undoubted high level of passing trade but it still failed. I’ll hazard that, because this corner is so grimy and chaotic, it simply encourages people to rush by. Or it could have been because it had crap coffee!

Something must change here though. The narrow crossing to O’Connell Bridge is ridiculous…the width of paving on the quay side, bonkers. Check out the awful mess of the adjoining Hickeys Pharmacy beside the former cafe. What a state – where is the pride of an independent business. Add to this the garish greens and pinks of the two other premises on Bachelors Walk. Its all so hideous….why would you want to linger.

Its not that difficult to fix – more a matter of subtraction that expensive addition. Hopefully the restoration of No. 34 will spur further action on the terrace and a demand for a better street environment from DCC.

The windows arrived yesterday Graham, and were installed last night when I passed.