Blogger Joanne of Stitch and Bear recently got in touch to tell us about one of her favourite food shops, Mannings Emporium in Ballylickey, Cork. She writes on her blog about how Mannings’ has been around for a really long time, giving generous support to food producers and samples to customers, but are currently finding times to be very tough:
As we chatted, Val mentioned how tough times were for small retailers. He mentioned that he didn’t expect to last the year if things continued as they were. Tourist numbers were down and overdrafts are hard to come by from the banks. I was shocked to say the least. Val’s shop has been in action for years, and has helped numerous artisans start out. And to think that it could all be gone so quickly is just an awful thought.
So my little trip to Bantry to buy new tyres has turned into a plea.
Get out there and support the small retailers who have given us so much over the years. If you know a small shop that you love, give them your continued custom. We don’t want to wake up in a few years when everything is better and find out that we’ve lost these great little shops.
I couldn’t agree more with what Joanne is saying: we need to think about the bigger picture here, and what suppliers and producers mean to jobs, restaurants and the foodies of Ireland. If you are a small producer or supplier and would like to be written about here on CheapEats, please contact us on peter@cheapeats.ie.