Retailers and shop owners of Mullingar express thanks

Like all retailers deemed non-essential by the government, Swarbriggs has spent a lot more of the past 14 months closed than open.

After initially closing when the first lockdown was introduced in March 2020, Swarbriggs and other retailers reopened in June with strict restrictions in place. However, with the arrival of the second wave of the pandemic in October they were forced to close again in October before reopening again for the month of December.

The lifting of restrictions and the arrival of more virulent strains of Covid-19 led to a surge of cases over Christmas and the new rear, leading to the introduction of the third and longest lockdown.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, proprietor Brian Swarbrigg says that the last year and a bit has been anything but easy, but he and his family were heartened by the large number of people who shopped local in the run-up to Christmas, which provided his business and many others in Mullingar with a vital lifeline.

“With the [second] lockdown we missed out a good few weeks of sales in November, but when we did open up, it was very busy for the whole of December. Everyone was out and shopped local. The shorter run-up to Christmas would have had an impact on it, but we got back on track a little bit.”

“It was badly needed. It was also good to see everyone again. Everyone was out and there was a good buzz in the town around Christmas. It was good to see it and see things back to some sort of normal – for a short period of time anyway.”

Mullingar Chamber of Commerce ran a campaign ahead of Christmas asking local shoppers to think local when gift shopping, and thankfully many appeared to heed their call, Brian says.

“We were all trying to do different things to help our businesses and people saw that and supported local. With everyone having a hard time, it’s good to keep the money in the town. I do it myself, especially in these sort of times when we all need the help and need to support each other.”

Like many non essential retailers, Swarbriggs moved its business online during the first lockdown, which was also well supported by local shoppers, while earlier this month the government bowed to pressure from parents and announced that shoe shops were allowed to open for scheduled fittings for children, which has also proved popular.

In business in Mullingar for 49 years, and with a second store in Athlone, the Swarbrigg family are grateful for the support shown to them by Westmeath shoppers during the current crisis and in the past.

“Everyone has been very supportive through our online sales and over the phone. We have a lot of loyal customers that my father built up over the years and it was great to see everyone over Christmas time. It’s great to see people staying loyal and staying with you.”

Anne Dolan, the proprietor of Pearse Street boutique, Mullingar Fashion Shop, says that she had a “phenomenal Christmas”.

“We had a fantastic Christmas. The amount of local support was great and the amount of vouchers we sold showed that people had faith in the shop being here by buying them.

“The support was fantastic. It really was the saving of the day, the month of December. The message did really come through – shop local. I think we have to continue with it to keep our town going and to keep our little unique shops viable. We want to keep our main streets alive and well because they have died in so many towns,” Anne said.

Looking ahead to the end of what will hopefully be the last of the lockdowns of the pandemic, Anne is hopeful that the re-opening of society will lead to a boom in retail and the wider economy.

“The sooner we get open, the better. I think that we will fly it. I am very confident for the winter. The numbers are going down. The vaccine is being rolled out – though, okay with a few hiccups. We have to look ahead and we have to get back to living.”

Stella Lynch, proprietor of Just Books contacted the Westmeath Examiner last week to highlight support shown by shoppers over the past year. She says that the people of Mullingar and the surrounding area deserve a “big thank-you” for the support they have shown to local independent retailers throughout the pandemic.

“It was huge [the support]. Books are a very popular gift at Christmas time. I didn’t realise until recently that it wasn’t just the case for Just Books. I was having a conversation with other retailers and it was the same response from them. They had such an amazing Christmas that it left them in a secure position to weather the storm of the upcoming lockdown.

“My father was a businessman and he said that even in the worst of times, Mullingar was a great business town. I think it has a great hinterland as well. There is a lot of loyalty. If you are an established business and you give good service, people really appreciate it.

“The people made a huge effort to support local and they need to be thanked,” she said.