This article is from page 6 of the 2014-04-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE late Jimmy Brohan had a simple philosophy when it came to business – be nice and treat people right.
It was a motto that informed his near 50 years working in the heart of Ennis.
A native of Ruan, Jimmy started out at John Roughan’s store just off O’Connell Square in 1963.
He worked there for 20 years before leasing and eventually buying the hardware business in the mideighties.
An incident in the year 2000 damaged the building and forced the relocation of Brohan’s to Parnell Street.
“One secret is that you have to be nice to people. If you’re nice to people and treat them right, they will come back to you. We have people coming to us since I started and now their family are coming [to us].”
That was Jimmy speaking in 2011, months before he retired from running one of the town’s best known and most loved businesses.
The interview took place in the teeth of recession as the town’s business community struggled with the impact of the economic downturn.
Jimmy had never seen it as bad. “Last year was middling but this year is very bad. People just don’t seem to have money. People that would sometimes spend € 40 would only spend € 10. They just haven’t the money to spend,” he said.
A family run business, Brohan’s was known for having a wide and varied collection of stock.
Jimmy explained, “People still come to me with the old spraying cans, copper spraying cans that the farmers would use. They are gone now with the last 30 years. They weren’t made for 30 years or more but I still have bits and piece for those.”
Jimmy typically started work at early in the morning, arranging goods outside the shop front. It’s a job he took great pride in.
“It’s good for the street. Once its nice and tidy and not all over the place. It’s not an eyesore on the street. It looks well,” he recalled.
Times were tough but Jimmy believed strongly in the importance of supporting local businesses.
He said, “If they only sold periwinkles, its better to have a door open. The worst thing you can have is to have shops closed.”