Joe Murphy’s Menswear, which opened on Fermoy’s Patrick St in 1959 before moving to the town’s main square, is to cease business having sold school uniforms, clothes, and shoes to generations of customers in north Cork.
Ray Murphy, who assumed the running of the store from his father, said sustaining the business in the face of competition from online sales and Mahon Point shopping centre, which is some 30km away via the M8 motorway, was proving “impossible”.
The store said on its Facebook page that it was “a very sad day” for staff. “After 58 years of being at the centre of the community in Fermoy we have made the decision to close our doors.”
Customers left their tributes, many lamenting the loss of an ‘institution’ in the town.
“Very sad to hear. Some great memories and some superb clothes. As I sit here typing this, from top to toe, all my kit was purchased in the shop. All the best for the future,” said one customer.
The store is now having a closing down sale to clear stock before its doors shut for the last time.
The M8 Dublin to Cork motorway bypassed Fermoy in 2006, reducing the passing trade through the town and shortening the journey time to both Cork City and notably Mahon Point shopping centre, which opened in 2005.