Go the extra mile this Christmas and shop local!

Go the extra mile this Christmas and shop local! Made in Limerick on Henry Street, is unique, being the only Arts and Crafts co-operative in the City. Picture: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick

As the Christmas season is in full swing and people look for the perfect gift for their loved ones, we are calling on the people of Limerick to go the extra mile and shop local this festive season!

Limerick City Centre has it all, theatres, art galleries, music venues, museums, and a jam-packed Christmas schedule which will see the city and county hopping over the festive period.

One thing we cannot overlook this Christmas is the many locally-owned shops, local producers and creatives that the city has to offer! As the Christmas buzz was building up in the city, I Love Limerick paid a visit to some of our favourite stores to see what makes them special and why it’s so important to shop local when we can.

Made in Limerick on Henry Street epitomises the ‘shop local’ mantra, founded by a group of local craft makers and celebrating its 9th anniversary this Christmas, the shop is a co-op featuring locally made products and crafts.

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Home to 13 talented vendors, each offering handcrafted products made with love and care, the co-operative support doesn’t stop there as the group also hosts 14 other Limerick craft makers’ products. The products are varied, from jewellery, ceramics, knitwear, and linen/silk textiles to paintings, decorative glass, wood products, framed artworks, and skincare products.

Daiva who is an original member of the co-op since 2015, who sells her textile designs from Made in Limerick, told Richard Lynch of I Love Limerick, “Originally everything started actually in 2013  when Limerick was city of culture and there was a craft hub on the Cecil Street. From there we moved to Thomas Street in 2015 and set up what is now Made in Limerick.”

Daiva explained the group moved from their original location, looking for the perfect long-term home and in 2019 moved into their current premises, a beautiful store on Henry Street near Limerick City Museum.

Made in Limerick has two floors and it is packed the rafters with 27 different types of products from 27 different Limerick producers, Limerick people that handmake the products.

Jackie, another Made in Limerick artist said, “We’re the heart of the city. We’re the beating heart here. We have fantastic products made with love by hand, by all of our members, all handcrafted, all unique, and all individual. We will say that people would be much more appreciative of our products as they’re not mass-produced.

“They’re all unique and all individual, I think for the people of Limerick and the visitors they need to know we’re here. They need to know that we’re producing fantastic local products and they need to come and see for themselves!”

While out shopping locally, it’s important to keep the energy levels up, and what better way than to stop for a coffee and a bite to eat in on of Limerick’s many locally-owned independent coffee shops, from Rift on Mallow Street, O’Connor’s Bakery on Cruises Street, and Carlton on Little Catherine Street, to Richard’s favourite place to grab a coffee and some lunch, Arabica on Shannon Street.

Speaking with Daragh, Manager of Arabica Coffee he said shopping locally is important right now as many businesses make the move online the city will lose its “atmosphere”.

He said, “I think it’s important because everything is online now and people are coming more and more into town and the shops are dying out and there’s nothing. Fewer and fewer people coming in every year and then you’ll eventually have nothing left and there’s no atmosphere.

“This year I think people are trying a bit better, there’s more foot traffic, there are more people going around with their families, it’s lovely to see on the weekend, it’s hustle, it’s bustle and more things are coming into town because of that.”

Speaking about what makes Arabica so special, he told I Love Limerick, “The coffee, the food, we do deals, we do soups, sandwiches, wraps, bagels, paninis, the lot! Our breakfasts, everyone loves them and all the plates are left empty.”

Limerick is home to some beautiful clothing stores dotted around the city centre, with many independent clothing stores and boutiques on every street. We spoke with Elaine Clogan owner of O’Donnell’s Boutique on Catherine Street and Lily Store on Roches Street.

Elaine told I Love Limerick, “We are O’Donnell Boutique, we’re in business 78 years, third generation family business and we basically will kit you out from head to toe, accessories included.”

“Local is everything. Everything you spend in a local business goes directly back into the economy,” they said about supporting local businesses, “You have to spend locally, you have to come in, support family businesses and then as a result, we are continuing to support all the businesses around us. It’s just so important to get out there, shop locally, have a coffee, shop in here!”

Local business owners are well-known members in our communities and that plays an important role in taking a business to 78 years, Elaine said, “We don’t last in business for 78 years unless we’re friends with all our customers. It’s a fantastic environment in here and a really fun place to be.”

Valerie who has been working with O’Donnell’s Boutique for 18 years said, “It’s a community. I’m like a part of the family now at this stage. And I love who I work for, I love the history behind them and what they do.  We don’t just dress our ladies, we look after them, we mind them.”

Valerie urged people to come into the city centre and support local businesses saying to “park the car or get the bus”, noting parking in the city centre can be as cheap as €14 for the whole day, and the bus fair could be less than half of that, she said.

Richard Lynch echoed the store owners’ sentiment urging the people of Limerick to visit the city centre this Christmas, saying, “There’s nothing like Limerick City Centre, please come into Limerick City Centre and shop there. It’s so important!”