THEY SHUT FOR GOOD IN 2020

• Date: 19 December 2020
• Published date: 19 December 2020
• Author: Conor Pope, Tanya Sweeney

And then there are the businesses that have been forced to shut up shop as a direct result of the crisis. Many of the businesses that are now closed for good would have started the year full of hope for a bright future.

They range from the familiar high-street chains where many of us bought our clothes - such as Oasis, Topman and Monsoon - to long-standing local businesses - such as the Dice Bar in Dublin 1, or the Final Furlong restaurant in Kildare. Their departure from the streets of Ireland represents job losses for many, the winding up of a life's work for others, and a changed streetscape for all of us.

But while the months past have been bleak for almost every business that has been forced to close or curtail its trading to a previously unimaginable degree, there are also embers of hope to be seen and people who are making the choice to view what has happened to them not as a calamity but as an opportunity to look at their world in a different and - hopefully - more positive way.

These are their stories.

Juggy's Well, Glasthule, Dublin Ann Fitzgerald-Brennan was co-owner of Juggy's Well restaurant in Glasthule, Dublin, along with her mother, Nell.

When did you close? We closed on March 16th, like everyone else

. When we realised that lockdown was going to continue for more than a month, we began to panic and consider [permanent closure] in the first week of May.

Why did you close? We had a Zoom call with our accountant who said: "My honest opinion is that you would be bonkers for thinking of re-opening." We had a fabulous clientele of customers, with a slightly older age profile. We looked at a takeaway option, but we did our sums and listened to the accountant's advice

. When the Vat went up last year, it nearly crippled us, and our last year was diabolical.

If it weren't for Covid-19 would you still be open? We

would still be at it. My mum is a very we-could-make-this-work person. The last recession was tough on us, and we were only really beginning to pick up again. We were still in recovery when Covid came around, and it made it impossible for us to reopen.

What was the impact on you, your staff and your customers? On making the decision, I cried for the day. For days afterward, I was going to bed crying and waking up crying. Our place was a little community; we even offered people lifts home. You could count the same 15 people that came into us every morning. It was so much more than a cafe to them, and to us, it was a huge part of our own family. We felt a huge sense of guilt about closing the doors. My mother didn't want to meet anyone on the street.

What does the future hold for you?

The premises will be let, if someone is brave enough to open a restaurant there. We won't sell it. My sister has a clothing shop next door, and hopefully in time she will be able to give me a job. She can't at the moment, but hopefully she may eventually. Other than that, I have to look for work elsewhere. I don't know if I ever want to go back to catering. I like the idea of something simple.

The Runner Bean, Dublin 2 Mark O'Connell owned the Runner Bean vegetable shop and cafe on Dublin's Nassau Street and for almost three decades he supplied people in the city centre with vegetables, sandwiches, coffee and more.

When did you close? We finally closed the doors in the middle of September.

Why did you close? There were just no people around. I lost at least 90 per cent of my trade almost overnight. I don't think there are many businesses that could have survived that.

If it weren't for Covid-19 would you still be open? Without a...