Department Stores: Anyone who hasn't visited Clery's lately is in for a surprise when they get to the second floor. Kate McMorrow reports
This was the site of Clery's famous ballroom of romance back in the old days and its sprung timber floorboards - now painted a smart black - were danced on by generations of Dubliners.
In recent years, furniture, crockery, carpets and linen were crowded onto the sales floor in a slightly chaotic fashion, with only a passing nod to modern design techniques.
The old bandstand took up much of the second floor space and the inevitable Clery's bargain was discovered almost by accident.
This has all changed utterly. The revamped second floor, part of a €20 million refurbishment project in the store, coincides with the completion of the O'Connell Street Plaza and the opening of the Luas red line.
The protected exterior will remain unscathed during the store's revamp, its famous clock a meeting place for a new generation of dating couples.
Irish company Creative Inc is behind Clery's new look, which will encompass a re-working of the store's Dublin lamp-post logo. Their brief was to find the right balance between tradition and modernity, creating a new contemporary look without losing its core traditional clientele.
The present building is the second Clery's store on the site, the first having been destroyed during the 1916 rising.
Its giant classical columns and windows set in bronze are heavily based on the Selfridges store in London and is thought to have been designed by the same architect, Robert Atkinson.
Catching the eye as you step off the escalator on the second floor is a chic leather sofa arrangement, behind which displays of Stephen Pearce and Nicky Mosse pottery provide splashes of colour. Aisles are wider, creating a feeling of space and encouraging customers to amble around at a leisurely pace.
Stock is changing too. Clery's traditional customers will still be able to find shamrock handkerchiefs and Aynsley lamps but the general look is up-to-the-minute, with just about everything to fit out a smart city pad.
A pink Smeg larder fridge for €1,555 is destined for a new cutting-edge basement department, but smaller electrical goods also have a designer look and a bewildering selection of accessories are on show.
Cath Kidson's pretty flowery china and tablecloths add a touch of vintage chic amidst the stainless steel and wood.
Last weekend, people were already wandering around with purposeful Christmas-shopping faces and seasonal goods had trickled onto the shelves.
A portable steel coffee mug would make a great present for someone in the office and there is a good selection of picture frames, from Venetian glass to tiny bejewelled ones perfect for that special photograph.
Kilkenny's new coloured glass range brightens up the glassware section, while Newbridge Silver has a corner to itself.
Furniture still has a way to go to match the choice available at Arnotts, but a few gems can be found, including leather tub chairs with pale stitching, reduced to €569. A matching leather-framed mirror is marked down to €149.
Thankfully, little has changed in the linen department, where some of the best bargains in town are found.
This week it's fleece bed throws at €6 and easycare double sheets at €10 a pair. Glamorous satin quilted bedspreads with appliqué work are a steal at €35 for a double.
On the next floor up, the staff washroom still contains the original mirrors where, way back when, women powdered their noses between waltzes.
The future of Clery's has been uncertain since the death last August of its redoubtable chairwoman, Mary Guiney at the age of 103.
Rumours abound that the clock is ticking on the future of Clery's as a family-owned business.
In the meantime, Dublin's oldest department store is continuing with a dramatic revamp that will usher it into 2005 in great style.
"The new design is focussed on the needs of the modern customer - a visually appealing environment to encourage ease of shopping," says Liza Jones, group manager of sales and marketing.
