Sir, - Retailing in Temple Bar was, and is, concerned with the development of "niche" shopping for small scale retailers, many of them owner managed premises. Retail has been created on streets and in areas where there was no history of it, and it has taken time to evolve. The area is not a "high street" shopping destination and was never intended as such.
There are 144 shops in Temple Bar (excluding restaurants) of which more than 45 have opened since 1992. There are two "New Age" shops, 13 hairdressers and barbers, 25 clothes shops, four opticians, and 20 music and record shops, as well as specialist shops like Skate City and Pianos Plus. In a normal business environment, shops change hands, open up and close down, and alter their character on a regular basis. In this context, four business failures in five years is entirely unexceptional. - Yours, etc.,
Douglas Newman Good
Trinity Street,
Dublin 2.