Just over three decades ago, The Treasure Chest was opened by Mary Walsh and this week, for the fourth time, the name was put over a new building - which will be the home of what she started, for many generations to come.

Mary first opened the shop, which specialises in jewellery, watch repair, gold and gifts in 1981 and it has always been a cornerstone of life in Mitchelstown.

She started her journey with The Treasure Chest at No 45 Lower Cork Street, where Spratt's Bar is now, before she moved to No 2 where Rosemary now has Off the Rails.

About seven years ago, when No 2 was done up, Off the Rails moved in there and The Treasure Chest was again packed up into boxes to go across the road to No 63.

Earlier this year, Eddie purchased No 53, where Auntie Mae's Bar used to be and at the weekend, over a single day, more than thirty family members rallied together, as they walked up and down the street all day, transporting The Treasure Chest to its new home.

On Sunday, Eddie and his wife Mag rallied the troops and between 9.30am and 6pm, they brought every single item up from the old shop and had the place kitted out and ready to open this week, before being rewarded with some delicious home baking from Carole Bradley.

"We were like ants going up and down the street - no one went anywhere empty handed and we did it all by foot, not using the van at all," Mag said.

Eddie explained that when they moved to No 63, the plan was only ever to stay there until a place was bought and he said that No 53 has given them a lot more space and a much more central location in the town.

With a picture of Mary erected in the shop, Eddie said that his mother would have been very proud to see what The Treasure Chest has become and the new shop is very much a tribute to all that she worked so hard for in her lifetime.

Mag said that one of the major problems with No 63 was that there wasn't enough room for shoppers to walk around with prams or buggies, but the new premises allows for a lot more space and it also means that they can display much more stock than the previous shop allowed for.

Eddie said that a lot of his mother's customers would still come into him regularly and this is why he felt it was important to keep the exterior very similar to the way she had it. 

He added that it is thanks to the continued support of people from the town, that they could move and expand their existing business.

Mag stressed that they still operate a deposit system, which Mary started and that is always very popular, as it takes away the financial burden of paying for an item all in one go and makes things more affordable. 

She added that Mary always said that the customer who comes in with their €2 a week is just as important, if not more so, than the customer who comes in to spend €200 on one item.

As well as a great range of jewellery, gold and watches by d'Alton, Sekonda, Q&Q and Henley, they also stock Killarney Silver, as well as pieces by Astra and Knight & Day, while trophies, engraving, wedding and engagement rings are increasingly popular.

The wheels were put in motion for the move in January and once the sale was agreed, Eddie set about transforming the premises and he thanked his former landlord Donie Lyons for his help and support over the years. 

The Treasure Chest opened its doors at their new location on Tuesday and throughout the day, there was great support from customers and other business people who came in to congratulate Eddie and Mag.

While the Walsh's were growing up, The Treasure Chest was part of their lives and now Eddie's children Eamonn and Niamh have got it as a backdrop to their childhood.

"This is for the kids' future now - it will be a family business for as long as we can manage. My children grew up with it like I did and it would be nice to see The Treasure Chest being passed on to a third generation," Eddie said.

This week has also been particularly hectic for Eddie, as he has also been busy training for the county final and he said that winning the final would really be 'the perfect end' to such a momentous week.

blog comments powered by Disqus