What shops would you like to see in carlow.

stick-dan · 24-06-2008 12:07AM #1

Seeing as we had the old school shop thread, i thought why not see what people think would be a good asset to the town in the shape of shops ,services,etc.

Personally i would like to see a proper book shop in the town.Like the book shop in waterford called the book center is a very popular place for people of all ages, nationalities sexes, etc. There is very seldom a day the place isn't buzzing.

I would love to see a proper book shop on the scale of the afore mentioned one introduced to carlow town. The demand would most definitely be there and also a book shop of this size could only benefit the town intellectually and ecomically. I would love the opportunity to go into a proper book shop, sit down, spend a few minutes leafing through a few books, whilst deciding which one to purchase over a nice warm beverage.

Most other counties have this why not us, That's my input anyway.

HoneyButterfly · 24-06-2008 03:43AM

I completely agree with you and before I read your piece above thats exactly what I was going to say. I went to college in Scotland for 4 years and loved the fact that I could spend so much time looking for books and having some quiet time where I could relax in a lovely big couch in Costa (although I'd prefer Starbucks but beggers can't be choosers) and read a book.
Then in America...Oh it was heaven on earth! I absolutey loved the Barnes and Noble book shops...absolutely massive! And while I'm not even entertaining the idea that Carlow might get such a fantastic book shop, I do think its disgraceful that a town the size of Carlow does not have a decent bookshop.
Also, I think a good shoe shop is required!! There's only Grahams really...and they rarely have anything nice. Even if there was a good shoe concession in one of the other shops like Shaws or Houstens, that would do, something like Faith or Schuh would do well I think.

Don1 · 24-06-2008 04:32AM

A place to buy immigrants would be nice...........

(joke)

racso1975 · 24-06-2008 08:57AM

1)Burger king

2)This multi screen cinema that keeps looking for employee's

3)A coffee shop at night time

4)A good mens shop with the exception of detail and best's us men are flucked

5)Shoe shop as posted earlier

6) Barnes and Noble ur right we do deserve the best and that is the best!!!

lucylu · 24-06-2008 09:06AM

A shop where you can buy a pair of jeans.

wheres me jumpa · 24-06-2008 12:54PM

Cinema
Book shop
Gadget/Technology type shop
Food emporium type store

Above all, Id like to see some Carlow businesses reclaim the streets. Carlow is over run with franchises.

mcaul · 24-06-2008 01:19PM

wheres me jumpa wrote: »

Cinema
Book shop
Gadget/Technology type shop
Food emporium type store

Above all, Id like to see some Carlow businesses reclaim the streets. Carlow is over run with franchises.

Definitely needs and would support a good bookstore - hughes & hughes / borders type, even if it was in the retail park would be good enough.

Cinema was planned for area where dunnes is, not sure whether it is still planned.

Gadget / technology store - small one in fairgreen, but I believe carlow is on a target list of sites for Best Buy www.bestbuy.com (these guys are good - real good!!)

Food Emporium - will have 600sq ft of new special days store devoted to gourmet foods, fine wines, coffee & chocs (former easons store) - similar idea to Avoca, but better prices.

racso1975 · 24-06-2008 01:28PM

Well it certainly seems are wish list is going to be met son enough so......though i do find that shop in fairgreen to be fairly pricey

stick-dan · 24-06-2008 07:23PM

Nice to see so many exuberant replies to what we need in carlow, pity a representative of the town council wasn't looking at this thread.

Really racso a burger king? Don't we have enough fatty food places in the town without another lol, ah well i suppose might as well have em all.

I like the way everyone votes for a proper bookshop, would be very cool to have a proper bookstore with starbucks or some coffee service attached. Here's hoping someday we will have one.

The idea of an all night coffee shop, that really and truly is a great idea. I would love one of them shops set up, there is often times when you could be bored either at night or late in the evening and the opportunity to get a nice quiet brew in a warm environment just isn't viable.

Is the big cineplex not going to open above argos in the fairgreen anymore? That would be a real shame. A cinema out at dunnes wouldn't be very accessible for us students on foot. Surely a more central location would be more profitable.

Better selection of lads shop i would welcome as its very hard to buy something and not see at least 5 other lads wearing the same thing when your out and about. It's a shame some of us have to resort to shopping further afield. A little variety would definitely be welcome.

Another Music shop to buy all our cd's and the like would be nice, I would love to have virgin records or hmv down here, We do have two good music shops but this could change in the future and i would like to see more variety in the future.

HoneyButterfly · 25-06-2008 12:35AM

I don't know if Barnes & Noble have shops in Ireland? But I was in Naas today and they have a great bookshop called Barker & Jones, with a Costa upstairs....that would be perfect.

patrickc · 25-06-2008 12:47AM

racso1975 wrote: »

1)Burger king

5)Shoe shop as posted earlier

!

agree on both of the above, BK is the best fast food ever, although i like it as a treat so might be bad if its in carlow..

clarks/ecco shoe shops would be fine with me

HoneyButterfly · 25-06-2008 02:14AM

Go away with yer Clarks and Echo! What would we do with such shops?! Oj. But really, you can get those types of shoes in Grahams/Shaws. We need a good shoe shop that caters for everyone. Schuh would be sooo good! So would Faith but I'm being slighty biased there, as they do only womens shoes

patrickc · 25-06-2008 07:56AM

HoneyButterfly wrote: »

Go away with yer Clarks and Echo! What would we do with such shops?! Oj. But really, you can get those types of shoes in Grahams/Shaws. We need a good shoe shop that caters for everyone. Schuh would be sooo good! So would Faith but I'm being slighty biased there, as they do only womens shoes

yes but i just find those shops generally have their own extra mark up on prices too, rather than the individual shoes. ah I'll stick with liffey valley has the choice of them all

mcaul · 25-06-2008 09:06AM

patrickc wrote: »

yes but i just find those shops generally have their own extra mark up on prices too, rather than the individual shoes. ah I'll stick with liffey valley has the choice of them all

You'll probably find an independent like Grahams a bit cheaper than the Branded stores. Basically the branded stores are nearly all franchised - so they are in fact owned and operated by independent retailers, but they must also pay a franchise fee, thus adding costs and usually meaning a small additional price.

fitzyshea · 25-06-2008 11:58AM

Planning for cinema is up outside the Fairgreen where it was always going to go. Burger King is supposed to be a drive thru out beside the new DIY place on the dublin road cant think of name right now!

I want a Boots chemist and a decent bookshop like eason or hughes and hughes. Also would be nice to see some shops opening up on Tullow St.

wheres me jumpa · 25-06-2008 12:38PM

Bookstore is a common suggestion, if there are any entrepreneurial readers of this thread, they can thank us for their success of their first bookstore in Carlow.

testicle · 25-06-2008 01:33PM

wheres me jumpa wrote: »

Bookstore is a common suggestion, if there are any entrepreneurial readers of this thread, they can thank us for their success of their first bookstore in Carlow.

That one in the Fairgreen is a heap of ****e. It's quite big, but it has SFA...

wheres me jumpa · 25-06-2008 01:42PM

testicle wrote: »

That one in the Fairgreen is a heap of ****e. It's quite big, but it has SFA...

There is no bookshop in Carlow imo. Only newsagents who also stock selected books. Might be a bit harsh on Byrnes but apart from best sellers and the usual generic cookery, holistic healing and pictures from space books they really cant be called a proper book shop.

I was trying to find a book on Solicitors Accounts(dont ask) last month and nearest location stocking it was Dublin. Now this is a very specialist book but the same would go for many other books.

stick-dan · 25-06-2008 02:18PM

wheres me jumpa wrote: »

Bookstore is a common suggestion, if there are any entrepreneurial readers of this thread, they can thank us for their success of their first bookstore in Carlow.

+1

I think it was said above people would like to see easons introduced. We had easons it wasn't a whole tonne, We need a better type of bookstore, one that covers all genres, topics, languages. The library is good but by no means great and doesn't possess a vast amount of literary material. A major bookstore would be brilliant. I don't want to sound as if i am preaching waterford to the heavens but the book center there would be an ideal asset for carlow.

patrickc · 25-06-2008 03:22PM

fitzyshea wrote: »

Planning for cinema is up outside the Fairgreen where it was always going to go. Burger King is supposed to be a drive thru out beside the new DIY place on the dublin road cant think of name right now!

I want a Boots chemist and a decent bookshop like eason or hughes and hughes. Also would be nice to see some shops opening up on Tullow St.

apparently thats a supermacs drive through going beside homebase

cashback · 25-06-2008 10:37PM

HoneyButterfly wrote: »

I don't know if Barnes & Noble have shops in Ireland? But I was in Naas today and they have a great bookshop called Barker & Jones, with a Costa upstairs....that would be perfect.

Exactly what I was thinking, used to go in there on my lunch break.
Byrne's really cannot be counted as a proper bookshop.

fitzyshea · 26-06-2008 02:03PM

patrickc wrote: »

apparently thats a supermacs drive through going beside homebase

Serious? I thought it was a BK!

Thats all th etown needs is another Supermacs!

SV · 26-06-2008 02:43PM

Definitely a supermacs lads sorry to say..

I wish it was a BK too to be honest.

racso1975 · 27-06-2008 10:58AM

why dont we all just pool our resources and buy the bk franchise between us l'll gladly be paid in double bacon cheese burgers and the tasty bk chips

ShayK1 · 27-06-2008 12:41PM

we don't need BK, WE HAVE FLORINO'S!!!!

wheres me jumpa · 27-06-2008 12:43PM

Id like a BK but Im guessing once we had it, it would be just like any other fast food place, ala KFC, Pizza Hut etc.

SV · 27-06-2008 02:00PM

ShayK1 wrote: »

we don't need BK, WE HAVE FLORINO'S!!!!

Nicest. chips. ever!

wheres me jumpa · 27-06-2008 02:13PM

ShayK1 wrote: »

we don't need BK, WE HAVE FLORINO'S!!!!

Which one is Florinos?

testicle · 27-06-2008 02:23PM

wheres me jumpa wrote: »

Which one is Florinos?

Tullow Road, behind the Shell garage.

stick-dan · 27-06-2008 02:32PM

Ok, i've just noticed something, I originally started this thread to find out what people would like to see in carlow town in the form of new shops and assets. But not the thread has degraded to a fast food talk, This seems to be a running theme here in carlow, we always stray off and talk about fast food and then threads end up going nowhere.

Has anyone else noticed this, are we this obsessed with our fast food?

Anyways to keep it on topic-ish i think it is a stupid idea to introduce a drive through supermacs, all that means is we can bring it home and get poisoned in our houses

inarut · 28-06-2008 07:32PM

back to the original thread. we need a bookshop where you can get lost in and waste the day reading books that you don't end up buying not the glorified newsagents and toy stores we currently have that pass as bookshops. anything like hughes/hughes, hodges figgis, waterstones or easons etc. or the kilkenny or waterford book centres would be something. now that wouuld make me venture into town a lot more.

much as i like bking, like anything else the novelty soon disappears when such fast food outlets set up in our town. i remember being real excited about mcd's coming to carlow those years ago and after 2 early visits have never been back:)

What shops would you like to see in carlow.

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