The camaraderie and community that is at the heart of the Latin Quarter is what has sustained John Deely of Story tailors throughout the past year.
"The sense of teamwork has been evident right through the lockdown," he said. His store was closed for three months but he could see that even during this, the neighbouring businesses were also painting and decorating their premises so that the experience of walking through the Latin Quarter was an aesthetically pleasing one, even with shutters closed on many businesses.
"The goodwill of the community kicked in straight away, so that when we reopened, people came in with a genuine desire to buy to support us and that is heartwarming."
But there is great encouragement from the delight that Irish people found when they had their staycations here in the west.
"So many people came here this summer who would normally have gone to France or Italy for their summer holidays and they have rediscovered Galway and the west, experiencing great hospitality and good service in the retail sector.
“There is a hidden magic in this area that people have found and Galway will benefit from this in the coming years. Yes, people are going to go back and have their foreign holidays, but their experience of Galway during lockdown has convinced them to have more short breaks and staycations here in the west of Ireland. In terms of mining this potential, we are only scratching the surface and we need to make sure that visitors are able to get into the heart of the city without massive delays in traffic. We need to create the infrastructure that will help Galway benefit from its popularity. When I mention this, I am talking about the potential of the greenway, the blue way, the port and other proposed elements of transport infrastructure.
Having been reared in the heart of the city, John is well aware of its potential and tradition and believes that excellent retailing is in itself a form of theatre and performance.
“I have been in this shop since 1999 and I enjoy the chatting and the banter with the customers. We all have a great pride in this area, and it is heartening to see that we have all become very sensitised to the notion of the city being brought back to life.
John is a strong proponent of the need to support artists and creatives and Story Tailors is a key part of this, breathing new life back into fashion through their motto of local, organic and sustainable.
“By working with local artists, designers and creatives, Story Tailors showcase the talent that exists all around us, while also linking up with more established international brands along the way. It is very hard for that community at the moment and the more platforms they can be given, the better so that they can commercialise their art,” he said.
One such alliance was with Claddagh NS and their campaign to highlight the element of sustainability in fashion in conjunction with Copenhagen company Neutral, who use only wind energy the entire way through their production and use 100% organic cotton in their products.
There is also an exclusive Heritage line in collaboration with the Bádóirí an Claddagh and the iconic Galway Hookers in celebration of Galway’s traditional boat-making heritage. This is a climate-friendly homage to the wind-powered nature of both Neutral’s clothing and the Galway Hookers themselves.
Bringing popular brands like Carhartt and vintage Thrasher to the West, as well as Dr. Denim’s new line of organic denim, Story Tailors is an ideal spot to give your wardrobe the revival it needs, without harming the planet. With new collaborations with local designers in the pipeline, this store is bringing exciting and creative stories to the masses. Through their personalised service, Story Tailors are bringing good old fashioned values back to modern retail, and more uniqueness to the Latin Quarter.
