Opening a new shop amid closing-down sales may seem foolhardy, but where mid-market outlets and chain stores are struggling, one-off shops are flourishing.
At The Store Yard, which recently opened in Portlaoise, proprietor David Keane has compiled a beguilingly eclectic collection of furnishings and accessories, as well as antiques and salvage items.
What is most exciting about this elegant space is not simply that it is a cornucopia of wonderful, unexpected things – from an early 20th-century Japanese tea set (€25) to a life-size bronze statue of the mythical figure, Mercury (€6,500) – but it’s the way all the elements have been put together.
Elegant room sets showcase an impressive array of furniture, ranging from handsome dining tables and four-poster beds to decorative pieces and fittings such as ornate over-mantles. The objects are desirable, the displays enticing. This is shopping as theatre.
The Store Yard, Kea Lew Business Park, Portlaoise, Co Laois, tel: 057-8680088; thestoreyard.ie
