As online retail giants like Amazon and ASOS burst into the spotlight in the early 2010s making textiles cheaper and easier to buy, it seemed that traditional haberdashers and local woolshops would drown in their wake. Thankfully, consumers have continued to value trustworthy local businesses and their loyalty has managed to keep haberdashers like Dublin’s WM Trimmings alive.
Located on Capel Street, the small textile store formerly known as the Woollen Mills was once a staple business in the city centre, and has gone from strength to strength since reopening as WM Trimmings in 2012. The Woollen Mills was once located beside the Grand Social on Bachelor’s walk, where the lovely restaurant that opted to keep its name stands to this day.
Jake O’Connor is the sales manager of the modern WM Trimmings. His father joined the business the year he was born in 1999. Expecting a child at 19, he applied for a position in the Woollen Mills and worked there for 13 years to support his family. When the shop unfortunately closed in 2012, he made the risky decision to rebrand and keep the business alive.
“Nobody wanted to see it go so my dad decided if he could put up the funds to keep it going, he would, and they did.” The term ‘WM’ acts as a homage to the Woollen Mills, keeping a hint of business that once stood while still rebranding and looking to the future.
Re-opening their doors in 2012 was undoubtedly a massive risk. At the time, the rise of e-commerce threatened to run local haberdashers out of business. While Jake admits massive online retailers have harmed his business, he still believes stores like WM Trimmings still play a crucial role in the textiles industry.
“When it comes to fabric and knitting yarn, there is always going to be a need to see what the product is like in person. To see how it feels and the textures. So in that way, Amazon can never truly replace it.” Yet, products that consumers don’t need to see in person like sewing machines have been soaked up by the big online retailers, something Jake has said “does hurt” their business.
The Irish economy was also in a bad place at the time they opened, something Jake says hurts creativity-based business particularly hard. “When people face hardships, creativity is one of the things that starts to diminish”.
To Jake, the main thing that makes their business stand out and survive these hardships is the trust and familial sense they can convey to their customers. “We care more, because it’s family. If we don’t get customers in, if they don’t like us, they’re probably not going to come back.”
The face-to-face service also makes a big difference, particularly in an industry where staff recommendations are key. “If they’re greeted by someone in person, who actually likes working there, who is willing to put in the extra shift and go the extra mile for the good of the family where it wouldn’t be expected in the big corporations, I think that does translate with our customers and they do notice it”.
As the world grows wiser to the devastating effects of fast fashion, people have begun repairing and making their own clothes instead of replacing them cheaply online. Jake says this trend has put the likes of WM Trimmings back into the spotlight. “People are trying to be part of a more sustainable culture”.
He also emphasises the importance of taking up non-digital creative hobbies. “You are creating something and engaging in something.” For him, there is something rewarding about creating something from raw materials and he encourages people to take up practical hobbies like sewing.
While they do face challenges as the business grows and modernizes against their Goliath corporate rivals like Amazon, WM Trimmings continues to provide high-quality textiles in a key area of the city centre. They provide knitters and sewers with the chance to feel the fabric they’re going to use in person and guarantee a trustworthy quality only a family business can provide.
Words: Pádraig Darcy
Photos: Gerry Doyle
137 Capel Street
Dublin 1
