Popular Clondalkin retail business closes after four decades
By Maurice Garvey
Garvey’s Hardware in Clondalkin closed it’s doors this week, after four decades of serving the community.
Established in 1979 by John Garvey, the store was a hugely popular retail outlet at Neilstown Shopping Centre – offering customers an eclectic range of goods, from staple hardware products, to school uniforms, sweets and bicycles.
Speaking to RTE Radio show The Business, proprietor John explained that it was simply time for retirement.
“I’m moving on, that’s the next plan, I’m pension age, I want out and to enjoy the rest of me life,” said John in his comforting Mayo drawl.
As a young man, he came to Dublin “chasing a woman”, his soon to be wife Marie, also from Mayo.
John continued: “I was working in the buildings, doing carpentry, when these shops were being built, so I said, I’ll have one of them. The only thing I knew was hardware, so I took it as a hardware shop.
“It was very successful for a number of years, as I had huge experience in the hardware trade.”
Marie admitted it was “a bit scary”, in the early days of the business, she was working, but they had a mortgage and were raising three kids Orla, Aishling and Cahill.
The children worked part-time in the store growing up, learning about the business world, which proved beneficial as they moved on and started their own careers.
John says the shop wasn’t affected by the recession, as they were “always in recession.”
“It’s not an affluent area, people struggle day in day out, we never seen a boom, so the bust didn’t affect us.”
John’s niece Elaine revealed both John’s caring and “innovative” side, the shop at one time or another, selling Christmas trees, school uniforms, toys and customers could join a Christmas Club.
Marie said she will be looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with her husband this year.
For John, he will miss the banter with customers.
“I can give as good as they get to be fair, I’ve never met a Dub to be slow with the tongue either,” he said.
