Alfies of Ennistymon, the Co. Clare vintage store you need to visit
An interview with Emily Ryan.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Alfies, a vintage store & cafe in Ennistymon, Co. Clare.
Over a cup of tea, I talked to the co-founder, Emily Ryan about the process of curation and the ethos behind the store.
As a slow fashion newsletter, it’s important to recognise the importance of vintage stores in introducing people to a more conscious lifestyle.
I had so much fun at the store and I highly recommend a visit; in the meantime, please take 9 minutes and enjoy the article.
My name is Dr Aoife Long and I write weekly articles about the slow fashion scene in Ireland. Sometimes it’s an interview with an Irish designer, sometimes it’s an essay on history of textiles and the people who made them.
In Ireland, there is a story under every stone and an artist under every rock. I fully expect the internet to disappear before I run out of stories.
Subscribe now to receive next Saturday’s article straight to your inbox.
When you first walk into Alfies, you notice the open, yet cosy layout of the store.
Downstairs is a cafe reminiscent of a country kitchen, with flagstone floors and a fireplace. Eagle eyed customers find treasures among the stylish decor, hauling home vases and cushions.
Upstairs, people wander through a large selection of vintage and thrifted pieces.
Conversation ranges from seaweed baths to tickets to Marseille.
As I walk through the rails, it quickly becomes apparent that this is a vintage store done right.
With a wide selection of clothes across all seasons, there is a multitude of textures and colours to explore with your fingers and eyes.
The store excels in details; every second piece seems to have an intriguing feature; embroidery, ruching and cut outs abound.
Emily’s eye for curation has paid off.
Emily defines the store as a slow fashion hub; the clothing stock is a mix between thrifted, vintage and new sustainable brands.
The vintage clothing is mostly sourced in Europe but the store has also become a (much needed) downstream option for fast fashion’s previous seasons.
What does Emily look for most?
In a word, quality.
I’ve learned quality never goes out of style.
Emily is strict with which brands enter the store; Mango, Zara & Guess form the backbone of the collection, River Island is occasionally permitted and Penney’s is downright banned.
By constantly reinvesting in stock, the owners have managed to collect an enviable assortment of stylish winter coats. (Seriously, I’ll be coming back for one or two this autumn.)
The store is also diversifying into shoes and accessories like sunglasses. (FYI, those top fashion brands actually loose money on runway shows. The accessories pay the bills, not the clothes.)
I have two main gifts in life; joining industries just before they implode and finding the most expensive item in any store within 30 seconds, so I headed straight to the designer & London chic rail.
This section includes special pieces from London and Paris designer brands; a light blue fringed cardigan from Iro was particularly beautiful. Labels in the store often include the original retail price which is eye-opening, to say the least.
While I encourage small brands to charge prices which include profit (remember, no margin = no mission), the reality is that retail prices for high street and luxury brands include a 40-60% profit margin; buying these clothes in second hand stores just makes better financial sense.
Closer to home, Emily is looking for Irish handmade brands.
She already stocks lingerie by Sophie Rutherford, a friend from Belfast whose designs have been featured in Vogue and London Fashion Week.
When I ask Emily about her personal favourite item in the store, she without hesitation pulls out a vintage hand crocheted top by Claire Kennedy.
It is so beautiful and the craftsmanship is so rare.
My guess is that as the store grows, it will become more of a boutique with Irish designers and sustainable basics like socks & swimwear.
Speaking of swimwear, the store has a distinctly beach vibe, with pictures of barrelling waves on the walls; so it’s not really a surprise to learn that Emily has worked as a lifeguard and Ian, her boyfriend (and co-owner of the store), is a surfing instructor.
As ocean people, Emily and Ian are driven by two forces; a deep environmental concern and a recognition of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, if you were to zoom out far enough, the two forces start to become indistinguishable.
Alfies as a store is deeply rooted in the community; named after Emily’s grandfather, the store has been blessed with good luck.
Other business owners in the town have lent furniture and sent endless customers their way, a favour they frequently return.
Alfies is supposed to be a hub for things; I love events and the restaurant across the way, Pot Duggans (the food is phenomenal) started doing the events which is perfect. We have the same kind of clientele.
This sort of cross recommendation is something I look for when talking to businesses and artists. It’s a useful diagnosis of a healthy community and heck, I like to eat; the more phenomenal, the better.
The restaurant uses organic produce from the local Moyhill farm; the mention of which made my ears perk up. You may remember from the interview with Liadain Aiken that Fergal Smith, the former pro-surfer and farm manager of Moyhill Farm is now producing organic yarn.
‘Ferg could spin a few yarns, alright’ observed Ian from behind the coffee machine.
It’s astonishing to me that the store is only eight months old.
The concept behind the space is still evolving, as are the owners.
Emily and Ian are toying with the idea of a cafe/ restaurant; food brings many people into a shop and they’re confident they could run a cool eatery. (I am too.)
As a long time vegan (but not anymore - cheese is life!), Emily had planned to write a cookbook of vegan recipes, but the deeper she dove into the topic, the more she realised she didn’t know.
Everyone’s health and gut microbiome is very different.
I scrapped the cookbook once I realised I have no right to tell anyone what to eat.
What if I told them what to eat and it didn’t agree with them and I couldn’t tell them why, you know?
It must be noted this quandary hasn’t stopped anyone else making a cookbook.
So how did you land on a vintage store?
I had always shopped second hand, even 10 years ago and an opportunity came about to start something here. It just seemed that vintage clothes were becoming quite popular again.
Emily’s business pitch is pretty simple; why should people buy vintage clothes?
Because… it’s saving the earth, it is cheaper and it is really good quality.
In my head… why wouldn’t you buy it?
After years of travel, Emily has a real practicality and independence, which makes for easy business decisions. Using her personal sense of style as a lodestar, she chooses items which are fashionable, easy to wear and cost-effective.
I could never justify 200€ on one top unless it was handmade by God; even then I would pay it off in three instalments!
For the commitment wary among us, there is something intriguing about running a store, day in, day out.
The store, though separate from the owners, is a reflection of their respective talents; Emily brings her good taste and social media experience and Ian brings good humour and height.
There is a warm, relaxed atmosphere in-store, with soft music in the background & the clink of cups and low voices in the foreground.
The cafe is filled with friends; conversation is frequently interrupted by local kids with blonde hair and leather necklaces, who seem to have wandered in from Malibu.
Sunday is a browsing day and Alfie’s is busy; stories and laughter are traded as much, if not more than vintage clothing.
I’m hesitant to suggest people actually have more time in Clare than other places, but it would appear that way. Customers take browsing seriously here and consider each piece with care.
‘That’s why I love Lahinch and Ennistymon, there’s a community who appreciate the value of things.’
This is not an exaggeration; from squeaky clean streets to organic pizza, Ennistymon is what an Irish village should look like. If the Romans had landed on the West coast and discovered Ennistymon, Ireland would have a different history.
Like many coastal towns, Ennistymon is tourist dependent.
Are they aiming to be open all year?
January and February really isn’t worth it, so I think we’ll close then.
It’s different, though, before Christmas; people had a buzz in November & December. In the winter, you can draw people in with a fire and hot drinks… We did some music gigs and we would love to do more.
Sometimes, we forget just how hard people work for their dreams.
Emily was upbeat but somewhat tired from a combination of running the store, working a second job at night and taking a business course.
Through the business course, she is working on a website for live stock drops. By holding virtual events, with models and real-time selling, vintage fashion can offer an experience which extends beyond a single location.
Alfies already has a healthy online presence via the store’s Instagram account; to build this, Emily has leveraged her background in film school, journalism courses and content creation in Australia and Bali.
In addition to her striking features, she has an open and friendly personality, which translates, even through social media, into trust.
A parasocial relationship in a nutshell.
I put up pictures of myself everyday; people said ‘Oh, you love yourself.’
I was like ‘Well, yes but… in addition, we must all love ourselves!’
It permits the viewer to see you and they feel like they’re talking to you.
It is a connection and that’s important. People are a lot more conscious now; they prefer a human connection. They don’t want brands, they don’t want franchises; they really prefer that experience of helping a designer out, of shopping small & sustainably.
Keep the faith, people.
The times they are a-changin'.
When you are lucky enough to visit Ennistymon, Co. Clare, go check out Alfie’s (directions can be found here).
In the meantime, please follow the store on Instagram for the latest updates, stock drops and opening hours.
Dr Aoife Long is a fashion writer and a creative director at Spirit and Luxury.
Great read and I would love to visit Alfie's if I travel to Ireland!!
I really love your newsletter. I sit with it every weekend 💚