I'm cynical of most of those phone repair shops too but I have to say the one on Castle Street next to Permanent TSB called Techneek is brilliant with the friendliest and most helpful staff. The town only needs 2 or 3 of those shops at the most. The business case for the rest of them is questionable at best!
Just on Tralee SC, I left Tralee in the mid 90s to go to college elsewhere and it was a dying centre even then. Gers Casuals, Dallas, Saxone shoes and the central cafe Smittys had all abandoned it by then. Its not fit for purpose for modern retailing.
I think the vape shop that opened in the mall has just moved from inside the shopping arcade and is the same owner. So technically not a new business.
The majority of the arcade was bought by an investor a good few years ago, and they are basically sitting and waiting for any remaining owners to sell up shop! Don't know what their plans are for the place, but they are not in a rush and probably will just gut it when they finally get full control of it!
Its the same guys who own Surf & Sail
Like any business there's a certain demand for them but nowhere to justify the amount of them there is. Castleisland and Listowel are two towns full of them now as well.
There was talk of Rock Street Post Office moving in there a few years ago but nothing happened. That might have given it a bit of life again. Since the hairdressing place in the middle went it's really been the end of it.
I thought the Vape shop phase had stopped but it seems to be back again. There was another phone shop actually next to the Shopping Centre that can't hve been open more than 3 months. As someone else said there has to be something more to them. Off the top of my head from Russell Street to Castle Street there must be about 10 of them now.
Tell! Who is moving in?
There's a food court going in next to surf 'n sail in the abbey carpark. Construction will start towards the end of the summer. From what I've heard of who's moving in there, it will be fantastic.
Yeah there's a phone shop on the corner of John Street/the Strand/Main street l in Dingle that's new-ish and also doesn't seem to be doing such great business either. One does have to wonder what's up with these places, at least a phone repair place in Dingle will have some synergy with the tourist trade. Not so much a vape shop, though.
Good. Vape shops and mobile phone shops are a blight on the retail landscape. The cynic in me doubts the legitimacy of a lot of those type of shops
Might have still been full downstairs at that stage but not with much of the good, I'm gone from working in town centre since around 2008 and it wasn't great for a good while before that.
Saw the Vape shop, couldn't believe we needed another one!
In slightly related news, the vape shop that opened on Orchard Lane in Dingle a few months ago, is closed. Never got going. None of us Dingle types are sad to see it go, seemed like a really bad idea at the time and, yep, it was.
The bottom floor was still full in the mid to late 2000s from what i remember. It's the last 10 years it's really started to go down hill.
On the subject of new town cente businesses i seen there's yet another Vape shop in the mall 🙄
It's a hell of a long time since that arcade was mostly full! Possible mid/late 80s? I do remember it being thriving, used to buy a lot of clothes in Ger's Casuals, hairdresser upstairs, great little diy shop opposite Rex's cake shop, Downtown Delly, cafe in the middle, Tylers I think at the entrance plus many more but that is a long time ago!
I often thought it would make a good place to group food places with seating area in the middle, kind of a food court with shops/takeaways etc sort of with a Cork English market vibe with all the non chain type places like organic veg shop/little cheese place/convivium etc/market stall type places but Tralee too small to support that sort of idea. There is a very limited market for 'farmers market' type prices in Tralee and those suppliers have to charge those prices to make any money so I fear it would be near empty!
I must ask, and I am not trying to wind you up, but we've been visiting Tralee regularly since moving to the Dingle Peninsula in 2015. Almost every time we go to the downtown, and I've never seen that facility 'mostly full.' It seems like it's been half empty all the time - I don't recall the upstairs ever having anything.
But, the design is so bad. So dark; Melbourne, Australia can do a very good job with 'enclose arcades' of shops, but they have sunlight. Not so much in Ireland.
Don't get me started about that Council. Beauty pageants, ugh!
I remember not all that long ago most, if not all, those units being full both up and down stairs.
An issue imo is the likes of the council, Chamber etc are only interested in tech or food businesses that actually end up going nowhere.
Well, that mall that Abrakebabra was in, is the definition of grim these days. Dark, lots of empty shops and the shops that are open - used books and vaping as I last recall, aren't exactly exciting. Maybe ditch the mall idea entirely, convert the whole space to an office building or flats or something. But it's grim and dark and not inviting.
Be waiting a while before the Chamber do anything. Still only interested in photo ops and taking credit for everything. I seen all accommodation etc in Tralee is booked for the Kerry Mayo game next week, i'm surprised they're not taking credit for that.
Agreed on the Taco fries. While not as good as they used to be, still the best in town. It was my treat to myself every few months if I was down town for something.
Tralee Chamber & the council would want to pull the finger out and try and do something to bring more diverse business to the town centre. There should be a blanket ban on anymore coffee shops, vape shops and tech shops. I’d suggest they should be waiving rates for a few years for new businesses and reducing the rates of existing shops in the town centre. If they don’t do something, they will have no rates to collect in a few years.
And Gamestop closing too.
I haven't been in there in a very long time but any time i pass there's normally no one in there. If it does go you'd wonder will it be the end of the Shopping Center.
yeah they closed briefly a few years ago, but reopened after negotiating rent etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they are gone this time though.
It did close down a few years ago didn't it?
They were closed Mondays and Tuesdays over the last few months. It was quiet enough on the rare occasions I was in there and sadly it looks like it's gone from Just Eat now. No other decent place for taco fries in town
I heard it was closed for good. Pity I liked the taco fries.
After pubs used to be their busiest times but those days are long gone. A combination of reduced quality of food, very high prices and crazy operating costs will lead to them not lasting too long more if they are not already gone.
I don't think they stay open after pub closing times anymore which is surprising as that used to be their busiest times. Its probably near impossible to get staff to work such late or unsociable hours shifts anymore...
I don't think they open until about 5pm most days (might be earlier at weekends). They have definitely cut their opening hours though.
Is Abrakebabra still open or closed down? Passes today at 4 and all locked up. Opening hour sign was gone off the door.
That might be a newer one 😄, I remembered it later, O'Malley Park was what I had heard it called!
