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The owner of the book and record store Uneeda said goodbye with an emotional video message, as he announced the closure of a store that has been operating for more than 50 years.
John Coffey, 88, was a familiar sight behind his counter on Oliver Plunkett St for generations of Cork shoppers, but has reluctantly decided to close the store.
In a video posted on Facebook by his grandson Jason J Cassells, Coffey took a touching farewell to his clients.
“I am retiring because I am afraid that the years are on the clock and I cannot continue. I have enjoyed every second behind that counter, ”he says in the video.
“There is a tear in my eye. All I can say to each and every one of you, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. John Coffey, dating “.
When he first opened Uneeda in the 1960s, the Beatles were still together and CDs hadn’t even been invented. Uneeda has traded at two locations on the famous Long Street, occupying number 71 for the past 30 years with its selection of second-hand books and music.
A former student of the Southern Monastery, Mr. Coffey told this newspaper that he had left school without grades and had worked for a time making burlap bags. The advent of plastic marked the end of the use of burlap for agricultural products, so he decided to open his first bookstore on Barrack Street.
While he once claimed that the secret to his success was “a thick neck and durability,” a strong bond with his customers, many of whom have been visiting Uneeda for decades, has also been paramount.
“My main rule has always been the same,” he once revealed. “If someone buys something, you have to stop. It’s second hand, but if a customer brings something back, I don’t question it. I give them back the money, without discussion ”.
He also explained why he had continued working at the store until the late 1980s: “I love it. What is the alternative to what I am doing here? Sitting at home looking at the glasses box. I’m here, meeting people, talking to people, I love it. ”As news of Uneeda’s closure leaked in the past few days, many customers took to social media to pay tribute to the store and its beloved owner.
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