Leavys Shoes put heart and ‘sole’ into one Limerick store as second shop to close

EAMONN Leavy has big shoes to fill as he is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather at the helm of a Limerick city centre shoe store established 75 years ago.

Leavys Shoes was started by Brian Leavy in 1950 in Patrick Street. He and wife Sadie ran the store for decades before handing it over to son Thomas who joined 1973. 

Together, Thomas and Catherine broadened the brand mix, strengthened supplier relationships and developed the William Street and O'Connell Street stores.

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The time has come for Thomas Leavy to begin to take a step back from day-to-day duties - while remaining closely involved - with son Eamonn the latest Leavy to run the show.

Eamonn said they will be bringing their two city centre stores together at its O’Connell Street flagship to create a larger, better-stocked destination. It will result in the closure of the store at 15 William Street in coming weeks.

Eamonn said the change is about serving customers better and it’s a chance to bring new homes back into the heart of the city.

The William Street premises will be brought to market by Rooney Auctioneers as a prime city-centre site with potential for quality residential accommodation.

With everything under one roof in Leavys Shoes, O’Connell Street, Eamonn hopes the closure of 15 William Street will mean a roof over the heads of people in the heart of the city.

Gordon Kearney, Managing Director of Rooney Auctioneers, said it’s an interesting building because it's got a corner profile - Chapel Street and William Street (pictured below).

“This can be very attractive for a commercial business, such as another retailer or coffee shop. It has three upper floors which are situated in the Living Cities Initiative area, which provide attractive tax incentives that have been enhanced in the recent budget.

"It allows someone to redevelop the upper floors into residential accommodation,” said Mr Kearney. Price is available on application.

He has noticed a trend developing of the upper floors of buildings he has sold being converted into residential accommodation.

“It is bringing great life back into the city centre,” he said.

Both Mr Kearney and Eamonn Leavy have both noticed increased footfall in the city centre in recent times.

“You can see the difference Verizon’s 400 or 500 staff have made. There's other officers that have opened up with 20, 30, 40, 50 people and we're seeing that net effect of footfall on the streets.

“I was in town last Saturday and there were great crowds of people out shopping and eating and the whole place looked very well. The city is moving on an upward trajectory. A lot of retailers were delighted with the number of people walking around,” said Mr Kearney.

And like his father and grandfather before him, Eamonn Leavy looks forward to supplying all the walkers’ shoes for many years to come.