LATEST: Tipperary Town welcomes brand new store on its Main Street

The NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) has opened its newest retail store on the Main Street in Tipperary Town.

Boasting a new, modernised look and feel, the store was officially opened by Billy Shanahan, who runs the annual Trip To Tipp event.

Mr Shanahan was joined by Tipperary NCBI team members in cutting the opening ribbon on the new store at 14/15 Main Street, Tipperary Town (formerly Kingston's Shoes).

Speaking at the opening Mr Shanahan said that he was delighted to be asked to cut the ribbon to open the new store.

“This store will be a brilliant addition to Tipperary Town. NCBI has been close to my heart for many years, and we’re delighted to once again be able to support this amazing charity with Trip To Tipp 2023 on September 3. I would encourage everyone in Tipperary to pop into the new store and support NCBI in any way possible,” said Billy.

The Store Manager is Esther Stoke and she said that she was looking forward to welcoming people to the new store.

“We were blown away by the level of donations to the store in the weeks leading up to the opening. The store will be open Monday to Saturday from 9:00am to 5:30pm and we are open for donations also and very appreciative of them. You will find fashion, furniture, books and homeware here in the store and there has been brilliant support since we opened,” said Esther.

Elaine Williams, Area Manager for NCBI Tipperary Town said that the welcome they have had from everybody in the town in the lead up to opening has been nothing short of amazing.

“In relation to donations for Tipp Town it actually has been the best support for any pre-store opening. We have never received as many donations from anywhere as we have from this community. We have wanted a unit in Tipp Town for sometime and I have been quite adamant that we should have one here as I am local to the area, and I think that it happened really well that we found the right unit at the right time and it is the perfect unit for us space wise as it will allow us to accommodate furniture as well, which is fantastic.

“We have 130 stores around the country and in county Tipperary this is our 7th store.

“This store is definitely well needed as we haven’t had one within this area and there is such a good catchment as we are on the border with Limerick which means we can serve Limerick and county Limerick.

“We can’t wait to meet even more people over the coming months and share some of the amazing men’s, women's and children’s clothing, homeware items, furniture and more that will be available in Tipperary Town. Community support is so important to us so please drop in with any donations you have, if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer at the store or if you would just like to say hi,” said Elaine.

NCBI’s chain of shops, which is the second largest in Ireland, plays an integral part in the charity’s overall fundraising efforts, allowing the national sight loss agency to provide vital, life-changing services to over 8,000 people each year.