140 years of drapery, history, and school uniforms is celebrated in Clonakilty, writes Kieran O’Mahony.
THE GAA was just in its infancy and the Ashbourne Land Act had passed when Jeremiah Collins opened Cash & Co on what was then the main street of Clonakilty in 1885.
Remarkably, the general drapers is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, making it possibly the oldest clothes shop in the town.
Mandy O’Brien is now the fourth generation to run the popular shop that sells ladies and men’s wear, household goods, haberdashery and babywear.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Mandy, who used to work there when she was younger and came back to work there full-time about 13 years ago, said it’s a magnificent milestone for Cash & Co on Rossa Street.
Caroline (left) and Mia O'Sullivan, Clonakilty in Cash & Co for the 140th celebrations. Photo: Martin Walsh.‘My grand-uncle Jeremiah Collins established the shop in 1885 and he ran it until 1920. He then passed it onto my grandfather, Tomas Leader who was his nephew and he ran it until he died in 1957,’ said Mandy. ‘His son, Des then ran it until his death in 2019 and I’ve been running it since with a staff of six.’
She felt that she had to something to celebrate this important anniversary, and last weekend they gave 40% off all their ladies and men’s fashions.
This is unique to anyone who frequents the shop, because they never host sales.
‘It’s a massive milestone and it’s fascinating to look through all the books from 1885 onwards, and just to see the differences and changes that have come about in retail and of course generally.’
Many said that back in the 1900s customers would come in to buy the materials to make their clothes, while nowadays people just buy an outfit.
‘In a lot of cases it would be yards of material to make a coat. There would have been a lot of tailors in the town at the time and I can see from the shop books that we would have employed the tailor to make trousers for example and the customer would then pay us for the piece including the raw material.’
Mandy said she loves working in the shop and they have so many great customers as well as visitors.
In Cash & Co. for the 140th celebrations were (left to right): Noreen Shanahan, Carrigroe, Loretta Tobin, Ardfield and Gene Buttimer, Shannon Vale. Photo: Martin Walsh.‘The amount of people who come in and lament that they don’t have a shop like ours in their towns is unbelievable. People love to come in and browse here and they would come from England, Australia and America.’
For anyone who attended both primary or secondary school in Clonakilty, Cash & Co was, and still is, the go to destination for school uniforms.
‘It’s an exciting time when they come in to buy their school uniforms and starting secondary school but there is a lot of organisation for that time of the year.’ She said Clonakilty was a different town when Jeremiah established the store in 1885 and Rossa Street was then known as Main Street.
Shopping and celebrating at Cash & Co, Clonakilty (left to right): Katlyn O'Brien, Eileen Sheppard, Mayor of Clonakilty, Clifford Buttimer and Hazel Buttimer, both from Ballinascarthy. Photo: Martin Walsh.‘It’s really interesting to look at the different names on the books and see that some are still around in Clonakilty while others aren’t.’
Mandy is grateful that he had the hindsight to open the store and would be very proud that she as a fourth generation is serving the clothing needs of the people of Clonakilty.
‘I enjoy working here and hope we will continue to trade well into the future.’
