Our own lovely Benny was in the Examiner business podcast there on Monday and made some very good points about the city centre, but one I especially liked, that's not talked about enough, is the small businesses that should be in the city if they were supported, including "manufacturing" in the sense of small workshops, etc.
I'm sure if we go back thirty or forty years we'd all remember (assuming we existed on the earth then) all the small shops and places that might have a workshop either above the shop, or in the owner's garage, or in some other place nearby, or even just a small storage area and someone able to source decent, affordable stuff. There's plenty of skilled people who can make and repair quality handmade items. I know of a number of leather workers, and was talking to one person who does it as a hobby/"hustle." These people's stuff is high quality, much better than the mass, factory produced stuff coming from China. Made with care, and most importantly after-sale support. It'd be the same across a lot of different small workshop type businesses. We need to get them back into the city, and more, we need them to be actually supported in the first place.
They're attractive to tourists, these handmade quality items. The younger generations (45-ish and down) are all very aware of the cost and effect of the sweatshops out forrin, on both people and the climate, not to mention our local economy. Benny said there's something bubbling away in the arts scene in Cork and it needs something to make it boil over (and I think we all agree that's getting people into the city, including living in the city, especially younger people who won't be bothered by noise until 3am as they're not waking up until noon anyway.) We also need all those small shops, and workshops, and it's a point he makes very well.
A lot of millennials and younger have re-prioritised their lives based on what went before. They/we, some of us at least, don't want the big houses and fast cars. A cosy, small home and an ebike with a good battery is what a lot want (and good public transport,) and more than that a comfortable life that also gives personal fulfillment. We need these types of things in the city, and we have to give people the chance to go for it. And I fully believe we'll eventually see some very, very important medium size businesses come out of what is now a Gen A kid watching people being given these opportunities and setting their sights on it from today, when they're nine years old, and watching their mad, idiosyncratic aunt or uncle being given a chance.
