The store was closed for a good four months while extensive repairs and remodeling were carried out. Dubliners were encouraged to visit the Love Clerys store on Talbot Street to leave messages on the Love Clerys Memory Wall. Jokingly I asked one of the staff if they'd found any skeletons during the restoration, while they laughed, they did admit to finding some very interesting memorabilia which they hoped would be available to the public when the store reopened.
True to their word when the building opened its doors again in November 2013 it included the compact but interesting Heritage Gallery. You might be surprised to hear about it, it is tucked away at the back of the third floor, but it's well worth visiting.
The gallery takes you through the building's history from it's opening in 1853 to its rebuilding after the 1916 rising and its takeover after receivership in 1941 by Denis Guiney of Talbot Street fame. The building is now owned by a Boston consortium.
Among the artefacts on display are the silver services used in the Clerys restaurants, an old grandfather clock as well as a huge amount of photos and newspaper clippings. It all brought to mind how prominent and important the building has been in Dublin's history in the last two centuries.
The little gallery is well worth a visit. I thought I'd just pop in and have a quick browse but I ended up staying and reading all of the articles. I'd highly recommend checking it out. The one thing I'm still curious about though is how many of my readers have meet their loved one under the clock at Clerys?
