New shop in Ongar...

DoozerT6 · 11-08-2013 4:29pm #1

Beside Newcombe Estate agents there - I haven't really had a chance to look inside the window - is it another ethnic food shop?

Aaargh, mods could you please edit the title to read NEW shop in Ongar? Thanks

ongarite · 11-08-2013 5:14pm

Best of luck to them.
I was hoping it was going to be a fruit and veg shop as the place could do with one IMO.

December2012 · 11-08-2013 5:19pm

I'd love a shop in Ongar like Paul's fruit & veg in Dunboyne. Haven't been to the new shop yet. I saw some flags the other day so I assume its a European foods shop?

robertxxx · 11-08-2013 10:41pm

I thought it was going to be a "O carroll's irish gifts" shop.
But then I realised its ongar and there are no irish buying gifts in ongar

December2012 · 11-08-2013 11:14pm

well this one does

Larbre34 · 12-08-2013 7:19am

Really don't know why anyone would be enticed to open in Ongar, its visibly crumbling and there was more rubbish on the streets and carpark there last evening than a small tiphead.

Gaspode · 12-08-2013 7:20am

OK enough of the snide remarks about Ongar, if you've nothing to add to the topic in hand then don't post thanks.

DoozerT6 · 12-08-2013 7:44pm

While it's nice to see a vacant shop being used, can Ongar support another foreign food shop?? It's a small village, we already have 'Era', (and I think Pavlov's Bakery is run by the same people, although their produce is more generic) and there are a multitude of ethnic food shops in Coolmine....

What would D15'ers like to see in Ongar Village?

I miss Soul Bakery

Anyone remember them? I know you can still buy their stuff in Dunnes but I really liked their little shop, and there was a much wider variety of produce available (prices notwithstanding!!)

ongarboy · 12-08-2013 8:17pm

Realistically, I would say an ethnic store would actually do better then anythiing that would serve traditional Irish tastes. Of my immediate 10 neighbours or so in Ongar, I think I and one other are Irish - the rest are non national. Glad to see the unit occupied.

What I'd love to see in Ongar is a deli or Butlers Pantry type place where you could buy ready made home cooked type meals and just pop them in the oven when you get home. Maybe someone can open one in the old XtraVision store??

December2012 · 12-08-2013 8:19pm

I love the bakery, but my waistline doesn't!

Twizzler · 12-08-2013 8:57pm

Larbre34 wrote: »

Really don't know why anyone would be enticed to open in Ongar, its visibly crumbling and there was more rubbish on the streets and carpark there last evening than a small tiphead.

In fairness to Larbre34, this is a reasonable comment - if I was looking for a premises to open a business in, I certainly wouldn't be enticed by an area that is constantly covered in rubbish. The poor man in the high vis jacket picking up litter really has his work cut out for him - his heart must sink when he drives in here of a morning! I'm glad there is something going into that unit regardless and I hope the new business does well. It can only be a good thing for the area to have new places opening up. The latest additions to the village have been great - Bonanza for Kids has lovely stock and the bakery has something for everyone too. Long may it last, if there's enough business there for everyone for it to last. I too would have thought that Era had it covered though for ethnic food.

robertxxx · 12-08-2013 10:24pm

DoozerT6 wrote: »

What would D15'ers like to see in Ongar Village?

Less non national shops.

Arciphel · 12-08-2013 10:58pm

robertxxx wrote: »

Less non national shops.

Local shops for local people?

Zaph · 13-08-2013 12:25am

robertxxx wrote: »

Less non national shops.

Why? Surely an occupied shop unit is better than an empty one, regardless of what's in it? And given that there's a large non-national population in the area what's wrong with catering for them?

Polar101 · 13-08-2013 2:34pm

ongarboy wrote: »

Realistically, I would say an ethnic store would actually do better then anythiing that would serve traditional Irish tastes. Of my immediate 10 neighbours or so in Ongar, I think I and one other are Irish - the rest are non national. Glad to see the unit occupied.

Depends on what kind of a store it is, if it's another East European food shop then I don't really see a point - I don't usually shop in Era as I've no use for much of the stuff they sell. And I'm not Irish myself so I might be in the 'target' audience for an 'ethnic' shop.

I'd also like to see some take away type shop that's not a chipper or a Chinese.

HungryJoey · 13-08-2013 4:34pm

Larbre34 wrote: »

Really don't know why anyone would be enticed to open in Ongar, its visibly crumbling and there was more rubbish on the streets and carpark there last evening than a small tiphead.

While I wouldn't entertain the point "Really don't know why anyone would be enticed to open in Ongar" I would agree with the state of the place. I only pointed out recently to the OH at the rubbish around the place and if you actually look at the surroundings, the place looks like its falling apart. (Pavements dug up, rubbish, poorly painted buildings, dirt).

DoozerT6 · 13-08-2013 5:26pm

Twizzler wrote: »

In fairness to Larbre34, this is a reasonable comment - if I was looking for a premises to open a business in, I certainly wouldn't be enticed by an area that is constantly covered in rubbish. The poor man in the high vis jacket picking up litter really has his work cut out for him - his heart must sink when he drives in here of a morning! I'm glad there is something going into that unit regardless and I hope the new business does well. It can only be a good thing for the area to have new places opening up. The latest additions to the village have been great - Bonanza for Kids has lovely stock and the bakery has something for everyone too. Long may it last, if there's enough business there for everyone for it to last. I too would have thought that Era had it covered though for ethnic food.

Where is this, and what sort of shop is it?

December2012 · 13-08-2013 7:47pm

It's beside the barbers. It sells children and babies clothes and shoes.

DoozerT6 · 13-08-2013 7:59pm

Oh nice! I don't go up that road at all so I never knew it was there. I have a couple of kiddy birthdays coming up soon, might pop in and keep my business local. What are they like price/quality wise?

December2012 · 13-08-2013 9:06pm

Price is good and the range is cute.

Twizzler · 14-08-2013 11:06pm

DoozerT6 wrote: »

Oh nice! I don't go up that road at all so I never knew it was there. I have a couple of kiddy birthdays coming up soon, might pop in and keep my business local. What are they like price/quality wise?

There is a 50% off sale going on there at the moment. It's been on for at least a week though, so I'm not sure how much sale stock they have left.

DoozerT6 · 26-08-2013 3:56pm

I popped in and had a look in Bonanza, there is a really decent range of kids shoes on sale - looks like foreign (Polish?) brands, so I guess the brand names wouldn't be recognisable to us, but the quality did indeed look good

It's worth a look.

They also have cute little woollen skirt/matching tights combo's on sale

The new food shop seems to have stalled, looks like there is some sort of construction work going on inside which seems to have stopped - looks like very little progress in the last couple of weeks.

On another note, I drove through the village over the weekend and saw a group in hi-vis jackets who were obviously a clean-up team. They looked like local volunteers as opposed to an official team, so thanks guys, whoever you were, I saw lots of full bin-bags beside your little white table where you had your water bottles

Anyone know who organised this?

December2012 · 26-08-2013 4:21pm

There is a tidy town / clean up Ongar group on Facebook.

ongarboy · 30-08-2013 11:36pm

The Polish food store is open now. It's simply called ABC!

ongarboy · 19-04-2015 9:44pm

New pizza place in Ongar where the chipper was. The Chinese next to it is still open though. I wonder why the chipper moved out- was it not doing well?

Not sure why Ongar needs a second pizza place after Dominos.

DoozerT6 · 19-04-2015 10:13pm

I thought the same thing. A village like Ongar would benefit from a proper chipper rather than another pizza place. Although there were at least three different chippers in that unit over the past several years, so maybe they don't do well enough in Ongar overall to justify the rent??

I was in the Chinese this evening, and it seemed like the new pizza place is open all right, there were a couple of guys in aprons milling around, but there wasn't a sinner in it....I hope they make a go of it, its nice to see new businesses opening up.

I'll miss me chipper chips though!

ongarboy · 20-04-2015 9:58am

They seem to have a bit of seating too although it doesn't look like someplace you'd go for a meal out (like a proper Italian pizza place). They'll need to blitz the neighbourhood with promtional flyers and discounts to get publicity and custom I would think!

I wondered about the frequent change of management at the chippers too. Granted, I'd only pop in once every two or three months but there always seemed to be a trickle of customers whenever I passed. I wonder if the high immigrant population of Ongar means a chipper wouldn't be a guaranteed money spinner. I get the impression that Eastern Europeans and Africans aren't as big a fan of fish'n'chips and burgers like the Irish maybe?

Larbre34 · 20-04-2015 10:18am

As a chipper that one wasnt great. Id go the extra distance for a meal from San Marco in Littlepace tbh

ongarboy · 06-07-2015 12:29pm

Looks like Power's butcher is either relocating or expanding. It has painted and added signage to the unit next door on the main street (formerly Reba hair salon). If expanding, it will be a fine double unit space! Would love to see more prepared meal and deli type options (what they have already for us lazier cooks is great btw!).

Have to say.. when you read about other threads such as Tyrellstown with shops/restaurants/pubs etc closing, Ongar is doing really well commercially. I can't recall any unit being vacant at the moment apart from the big yellow house which has the builders in so looking forward to see what moves in there eventually. Noe all they need to do is repair the disgraceful red stone ramps approaching the village centre from the front and back. It's really a poor first impression!

Shuttle666 · 07-07-2015 2:33pm

Pizza place is called Pizza Project and tried it for Sunday night for a snack. Always looks deserted from the outside, but there are tables away from the window so that may be why. Fair enough range of pizza / salads, and pricing fine for what it is.

New shop in Ongar...

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