Border businesses keeping custom at home

Cavan town enjoyed the benefits of trade from the North when sterling was particularly strong but the reverse has been the case for some time now and many businesses have suffered as a result. There have been long tailbacks into Enniskillen every weekend for months. Seasoned cross-border shoppers know short cuts to beat the traffic and the best place to fuel the frenzy with a quick coffee stop. Border county residents have always paid attention to the exchange rate and taken advantage when it was favourable. Some businesses have managed to defy the trend however. A mixture of unique circumstances and business savvy has enabled a couple of border-area businesses to hold onto their own local customers and even attract trade from north of the border. One excellent example of this is Flynn's Butchers in Blacklion, Co. Cavan. Blacklion is located directly on the border with Fermanagh and travelling to Enniskillen to shop is less of a journey than going to Cavan or Sligo town for the residents of West Cavan. The local butcher however has managed to hold onto his regular customers in spite of the recession and the temptation to take advantage of the cheap sterling rates. Martin Flynn, proprietor of the business puts it down to a number of factors: "There's a confidence thing there and a loyalty thing too." In the shop, it is clear that Martin has worked hard to establish a good relationship with his customers. He knows practically everyone who comes in by name and has a friendly chat with plenty of banter. This relationship means he knows what his customers want and can anticipate their needs. Every Friday, the Rural Lift bus brings people from isolated areas in Glangevlin and around to Blacklion. Many of them shop in the butchers and The Anglo-Celt spoke to one woman from the Gowlan area who said: "He'll surely keep his customers because he has a gorgeous personality. His meat is excellent. I'll shop in no other butchers than Martin Flynn's." Her emphatic approval was seconded by Nora D'Arcy who had travelled from Glenfarne in Leitrim to buy her meat. "It's a good place to shop. I always come here." He points out that his customers know and trust his product. It is all sourced from Cavan, from areas including Ballyjamesduff. Martin also takes pride in the meat he sells, telling his customers how long it has been hung and recommending various cuts. "Beef's a unique product - the longer the butcher has it hanging, the better it gets." Martin's beef is all hung and he makes the point that not all butchers take the trouble to hang their beef. As the beef hangs the weight is reduced and therefore, for the butcher, its earning potential drops. "Your profit margin is affected." Flynn's butchers is an essential stop for most of the residents of Blacklion over the course of the week with weekends in the shop resembling a social gathering more than a shopping expedition. It has also continued to attract custom from Northern Ireland despite the price differential. Martin's customers come from Belcoo and Florencecourt and even as far away as Letterbreen. Martin is modest putting this down to the "convenience" of shopping locally. The quality of the service and the product on offer in his shop though clearly is a factor in its trend-defying popularity. The butcher in Blacklion is not the only business managing to hold onto northern customers. Fuel has been the firestarter for much cross-border traffic and trade over the past decade and thankfully for many businesses along the border this is still the case. Though the drop in the value of sterling has affected how much northern drivers can save by filling up in the south, there is still a saving to be made by cost-conscious border-area residents. Any residents of Border areas of Fermanagh such as Belcoo or Derrylin still cross the border to fill up in Blacklion or Belturbet. Hopefully at some point in the future, other border businesses can begin to attract northern custom again.