In our autumn issue, I talked about the managers in Limerick and Kilkenny, who had opened links to their Facebook sites in order to exchange ideas and notes about their shops. Mary Shanahan in particular, with her constantly changing pieces of information and clear photos of some of her stock regularly updated, has encouraged countless people to ‘see for themselves.’ Corina Merrigan in Ringsend is another enthusiast.

The new manager in Sligo town, Mary Looby is the latest to show an interest in linking Mrs Quin’s to her personal site. I will be keeping an eye on all these and with luck, interesting many more. When times are hard, we need to think of different ways of attracting customers – and of course, donations.

In Clonmel, part of our large shop has been revamped as a work room for an alteration service. This is still a new enterprise, but Liza is most able and enthusiastic. This is a good example of turning existing shop space into something new. In these troubled times, many would rather pay to have a garment altered than go to the expense of a new one. I’ll have more to say about this when I’ve seen it myself.

A recent fundraiser was a fashion show run by Mary Ann McCrann, manager in Ballagaderreen. As ever, Graínne Whiteside, Area Supervisor, was the driving force behind the venture, which made the fine sum of €2,500. Tommy Marrem was the compére on this most enjoyable night.

It’s good to see managers and staff making the best of what they have and consulting together for fresh ideas.

Marjorie Quarton