Longstanding Moate business to close in October

A bastion on the Main Street of Moate for eight decades, Walsh's will close its doors for business at the end of October.

The long-established clothing, drapery and footwear store has been a prominent presence on the business landscape of Moate since 1956, with current owners John and Una Walsh serving the local and Midlands community since 1985.

John and Una carried on a family tradition, taking over the running of the business from John's parents. Being to the forefront of the family business has served John and his family "extremely well", but as he approaches his 70th birthday he now feels the time is right to settle into retirement.

"The years have passed so quickly. Both Una and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time in business in Moate, but now the time is right to close the business doors and look forward to our retirement," John said.

Given its standing in the Moate and Midlands business community, Walsh's has experience repeat trade with customers on a continuous basis over the years.

"We were always grateful for the support the local community gave us during our years in business. You build up a certain rapport with customers and you look forward to seeing them walk through the door," John added.

John said the daily interaction with customers will be "much missed".

"You get to know your customer, what is going on in their daily lives. With Moate being a small town, you get to know all those who come into your shop on a personal level and when we close our doors at the end of October, it is this aspect of the business which Una and I will miss most," John added.

Walsh's has long been synonymous with providing school uniforms for students attending schools in Moate and throughout the South Westmeath community. Each summer, the store was the perennial stopping point for parents as they looked to cloth their children before they returned to school.

"Generations of families have passed through our doors buying school uniforms. The children of grandparents, who first brought school uniforms decades previously, have since been in our store buying clothes for their children before they returned to school. It is great to know that we were trusted by families for the quality of our school uniforms through the years," John said.

While it has been a rewarding career for John, challenges presented along the journey, particularly when Brexit was ratified in 2020.

"Brexit was arguably the most challenging aspect for our business. Brexit brought with it additional charges on imported goods. There were also agent's fees and excise duty to be paid on imports and business became more difficult. As a result, you saw the closure of a number of independent wholesalers," John stated.

Walsh's didn't succumb to the challenges posed by Brexit and John is grateful to the "loyal customers" who ensured the business continued to remain open to this day.

"We supplied a service and thankfully, it was one which the local community and surrounding areas supported all through the years. We will be forever grateful," John said.

As he reflects on his life in business, John said he "never minded opening the door to customers each morning".

"Una and I have enjoyed a largely positive experience in business. Yes, we will certainly miss it, but we are looking forward to retirement and taking time to ourselves," John concluded.