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Tag: Rathmines

  • Abner Browns – Not your average barbershop

    Abner Browns – Not your average barbershop

    By Aidan Coyle

    Dave Judge is something of a celebrity these days. The story of how he turned his little barbershop into a live music venue has led to three documentaries and has been covered in many of the national papers including the Irish Times.

    Dave initially worked as a barber before opening his own shop on Cork Street. He then did very well in the property business and opened Abner Browns in Rathmines. That was when the recession hit.

    Dave went from being picked up at the Galway races in big cars to cutting hair on the floor of Abner’s. He said: “We lost everything in the recession. Banks took the lot. It was a really, really tough couple of years. I was left with nothing.”

    “I kept the family home and I kept the barbershop cause I just leased it and didn’t actually own it. Thank God. If I owned it, it would probably be gone too,” said Dave.

    Dave fortunately managed to hold onto Abner’s and that is where his career took another unexpected turn. He had previously played in a band as a teenager and decided to redecorate the barbershop with music memorabilia. Canadian singer-songwriter Blair Packham agreed to play a few songs and became the first of many artists to grace the shop with live music.

    Although Dave confessed he somewhat stumbled back into the industry with the advent of Abner’s music nights, he has always loved music. Dave said: “I had a load of albums at home cause I’m a music head. I played music years ago. When I was in my late teens/early 20s, I played in bands around town.”

    Dave believed his love for music mixed with many years’ experience in business gives him an advantage over other people in the industry. He said: “I think that’s it; I fell back in love with it I suppose. It was always there but when I went into business, you’re focused in a different way. I brought that back to this in that all the music heads, they’ve a different way of thinking than I would have. So, I’m able to channel it better.”

    Dave Judge: Owner of Abner Browns and The Underground (Credit: Aidan Coyle)

    Dave became so sought after in the music scene that he had to stop the night-time gigs at Abner’s. He is involved in festivals around Dublin including running the 2FM stage at Electric Picnic. He also opened a venue called The Underground on Dame Street that features music from up and coming independent artists.

    Dave named and based The Underground after the 80’s venue on Dame Street that was significant to him. He said: “It’s about up and coming independent bands which is what I was when I was 20 years old and we had nowhere to play. There was the old Underground, that’s what it’s modelled on. Back then it was just down the road, pretty similar to what we are. But there was no Whelan’s, there was no Grand Social.”

    Dave’s aim with The Underground and with the music nights in Abner Browns is to give rising musicians that platform they need to perform. “It’s an opportunity to play and some people say; ‘Ah, some of them are shit’. ‘Well yeah, so were U2 when they started off’. You have to start. I was a shit barber when I started off. Give people a chance, that’s what we do, that’s it.”

    Abner Browns in Rathmines (Credit: Aidan Coyle)

    He said: “For me it was never about making money. Obviously, The Underground now has to make money. I would actually make more money if I played this type of shit and had someone playing Galway Girl all day and a load of Leprechauns on the stairs but it would break my heart.”

    Despite his scenic route into music promotion, there is no doubting that Dave is an expert on the Irish scene now. “People see me as the knowledgeable person in Dublin for up and coming bands and I would know them all. Like we had a Brazilian company here last week and a Los Angeles film company. They’re doing a thing about independent music around the world and doing Dublin. And they made me the centre of the Dublin thing which is a bit mental to be honest with you.”

    Last month, Dave brought the popular music nights back to his barbershop Abner Browns in Rathmines after a year and a half hiatus. ELLYD and Statelights lit up the small venue. “It was brilliant and straight away I got the next one booked in now and back at it again. I kind of missed it a bit because it was just about music.

    “Whatever you have in your head, you go in there and everyone listens,” said Dave.

  • The rebirth of Rathmines

    The rebirth of Rathmines

    Ross O’Carroll Kelly once described Rathmines as a shanty town when compared to Ranelagh and Rathgar. However, these days Ranelagh is something akin to a ghettoised shopping mall of restaurants, and Rathgar seems to just trundle along with old money, old families and little passion. Rathmines these days is experiencing a renaissance of sorts or as Niamh Creighton of Deveny’s Off Licence says: “It’s got its mojo back.”

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    One of the key components to this new sense of self that Rathmines has acquired has been brought about by Mart. Operated by Matthew Nevin and Ciara Scanlan. It comprises an art gallery housed in the old fire station, various artists’ studios and a café/collective space called the Martcade. I sat down with them in their studio and asked about Mart and Rathmines, Matthew says: “We really love Rathmines and we think the people are really nice here, our footfall is obscene, there are so many people, we cater not just for the art community but also the community.”

    Ciara spoke about establishing Mart and a scene:  “It wasn’t our intention to make a new scene in Rathmines, our desire was that we really loved this building, that was number one, and it nearly killed us to do it up.”

    They had to expand quickly in order to make the business self-sustainable. Matthew: “We have 30 studios, over 45 artists. We showcase 120 artists on our website. Over the last year we’ve probably shown 150 artists in this gallery, but actually our turnover is really quite tight so at the moment we’re looking at how we can expand because we had to get to a certain size before we could stay afloat.”

    They’re shrewd and ambitious, but this is what is needed in a place like Rathmines that has traditionally been very unforgiving of new businesses. The future is bright for them and expansion is not far from their minds. Matthew says:  “It’s opening other studios, going abroad, potentially opening another coffee shop, making this gallery internationally known as well and nationally and getting good big names.”

    The best way to describe what is happening in Rathmines is summed up by Niamh Creighton of Deveny’s Off Licence: “I think now Rathmines is a destination again rather than somewhere you just pass through…you could spend a whole day here.”

    Deveney’s has been going for over 100 years and won wine specialist of the year in 2013. They average over 400 different craft beers.

    She summed up how locals see Rathmines “It’s the rough diamond, whereas Ranelagh is the polished pearl, Rathmines has always been quite quirky, it’s a huge big eclectic mix of people.” The rebirth is  happening through a combination of a number of businesses that help and feed off each other. Niamh: “You’ve got The Blackbird for all your craft beers and obviously that’s helped us, you know people are coming from different areas with a thirst for all different types of beers.”

    The Blackbird,a bar, is another new addition to the area. Manager Shane Clifford sat down for a chat about their current success and what they do differently. “We’re in our fourth month and there are a few staples that we stick to. Our staff are very friendly, they go above and beyond to talk to anybody, we try to create a nice warm cosy atmosphere for people, we try to play some good music and we’re all about craft beer.”

    The Blackbird has two sister pubs in Dublin, P Mac’s and Cassidy’s, so they know what they’re doing. It shows too. Since opening it has become one of the more fashionable places to go to in Dublin. I wondered how Shane felt about Rathmines. “The customer base that exists for the two pubs in town, a lot of them are from this area so we knew that …but we don’t want to be stepping on the neighbour’s toes. Imagine if you were living beside a place that was extremely busy.” ¨

    Shane told me the opening was helped by the other businesses being there when they opened their doors for the first time. “It definitely lent a bit of levity to it…and I remember the online magazines noting that Rathmines is after getting a rebirth.”

    One business that is experiencing a renaissance is Abner Browns Barbershop. Originally opened 13 years ago by owner Dave Judge in the past year it has been hosting gigs and getting a lot of attention from the music world. Dave: “The cool thing for bands in Dublin now is to get a gig in here, I get about five emails a day, people are coming in with their music, it’s like another job, it’s ridiculous.”

    It all started when Dave sent his partner a picture of an old couch he had bought with a guitar resting beside it. She liked the idea. One day the singer/songwriter Blair Packham was getting his hair cut and said he’d play a few songs sitting on the couch, “instead of the radio” as Dave says. From there they’ve gone to a stage at Electric Picnic and hosting various gigs around the city.  Dave agrees that there is now a ‘scene’ in the area that he and others are part of, affectionately calling it “little Camden”.

    While talking to various people in the area about Rathmines’ rebirth I stopped off in The 3rd Policeman, a vintage and curios shop on the Lower Rathmines Road owned and operated by Alistair Elliman. While we were talking it dawned on the two us that we’re both natives to the area. So we ended up having more of a conversation about the changes we’ve both seen in recent times and how we feel about our area becoming, as Alistair and others put it, “a destination once again”.  Below you can hear that conversation.

  • Roll out of Xtra-vision vending machines

    Roll out of Xtra-vision vending machines

    These could be seen in much greater volume depending on how successful these vending machines prove to be. Image by: Craig Farrell
    These could be seen in much greater volume depending on how successful these vending machines prove to be. Image by: Craig Farrell

    Xtra-vision have rolled out DVD and game rental vending-machine kiosks throughout Dublin.

    The concept was created by the UK company Hilco, which recently took over Xtra-vision and HMV. The vending machines will function very much like the company “Redbox” in the United States and Canada.

    The kiosks offer over 300 rentals, with new releases added every friday. Users do not require an xtra-vision card as the machines run using debit or credit cards. Prior to the rental a debit or credit card is read, upon returning the rental the card is swiped again and the payment is charged based on number of rentals and duration.

    Rentals cost €2.99. An additional fee of €1.50 is charged per day the rental is not returned. However if the rental is not returned within 10 days the charges halt and the rental is considered purchased.

    One of the first kiosks in Dublin has popped up in Spar on Ranelagh Road, Ranelagh village.

    Ranelagh resident Thereseanne McCormack said, “I think it’s a good idea, but a novelty idea.

    “Currently it only has one screen to work from, I think it would be better if more than one person could use it at a time.

    “Although considering the Baggot Street and Rathmines xtra-vision shops have recently closed it is good to have the option available again,” Thereseanne concluded.

    Other Spar and Eurospar outlets supplying the new vending-machines include; Sandymount, North Circular Road, Inchicore, Kilmainham, Ellis Quay, Monkstown.

    “It’s a great idea”, said movie and video-game buff Daniel O’Reilly, “it is quick and easy, which is always a great selling point.”

    The Sallynoggin resident continued, “it’s sad to see that this has been a result of people losing their jobs and if these type of outlets are successful it could lead to the company removing all employees and stores and turning completely to these types of vending machines.”

    The kiosk is the first initiative introduced by Hilco to boost sale revenues since they bought the chain earlier this year. Another initiative is integrated Xtra-vision and HMV stores which have opened in Artane and Ashleaf.