Buy Local & Support Local Businesses

While our beautiful Dún Laoghaire is waking up from a winter slumber and nights that last too long, we can’t wait to celebrate LOVE! We know that this year won’t be the same as before, but the excitement and buzz are still around us. If you and the people you love are healthy and still with you, that’s certainly a fantastic reason to be festive. Many of us are trying to be creative and get our Valentine’s Day gifts ordered and delivered, no matter how challenging the circumstances we are still enduring.

Flowers, chocolate, lingerie, or simply things to do as a couple will certainly make this Valentine’s Day special. We are lucky to have Dun Laoghaire shops within our 5km radius to satisfy these needs. Not only we can treat someone we love, but also buy local and support our business community.

Without further ado, we are sharing stories of some of our favorite local businesses and their special offers for Valentine’s Day.

Lulabelle Flowers

If you are looking for a perfect bouquet of flowers for your partner, then Lulabelle Flowers on George’s Street has a great selection for you. Lulabelle Flowers is a flower and lifestyle Irish business. It is woman-led and family-owned. We were delighted to talk to Betty and learn more about her shop. Besides flowers, her business also serves as a coffee and stationery shop.

Betty proudly spoke of championing Irish and women-owned businesses in her store and how important that is to her. All her greenery is from the counties of Kerry and Wexford. She was born in Dun Laoghaire and we are sure you know very well who she is, as she is the 4th generation from Dun Laoghaire. She shared a little joke with us about her son who is only four, but she is already training him to follow her steps. If you wonder where the name of the shop came from, it’s Betty’s childhood nickname. Her mom called her Lulabelle. We loved hearing this beautiful family story and we are lucky to have them as our neighbors and friends.

Being a local, independent and small family business gives our community the advantage of speaking to Betty directly when we need flowers from her. She is the one answering the phone, making bouquets, and welcoming us to the shop. She also made the website and the whole experience with her business from start to finish. Everyone buying from her shop not only buys from Lulabelle Flowers but also helps other Dun Laoghaire and Irish businesses stay sustainable as almost everything stocked in the shop is proudly Irish.

Betty, owner Lulabelle Flowers

Something special for Valentine’s Day from Lulabelle Flowers

For Valentine’s Day, Lulabelle Flowers has Valentine’s Day Designer Choice arrangements available for ordering and delivering now. It’s a lovely combination of pink, white, and a little pop of red with a beautiful red Naomi rose. Pretty and romantic with a nod to love and passion.

They have their own signature range of candles and bath soaps made in Dun Laoghaire that they sell in the shop. They also sell natural soy wax candles, eucalyptus, and grapefruit candles for Valentine’s Day. Wexford chocolate and Galway truffle are all available online. Flowers, candles, soaps, chocolate, and Valentine’s Day cards are all Irish products.

How to Buy From Lulabelle Flowers

Because of the current situation Betty recommends purchasing online from their website and the products will be delivered to you. However, as they have a coffee shop and the shop is open, a small flower counter will be open for quick flower purchases. But generally, they don’t allow click and collect service for now as everyone’s safety is their priority.

Here’s where Lulabelle Flowers are located:

31 George’s Street Lower, Dún Laoghaire

(01) 284 4354

Website

Google Reviews Lulabelle Flowers

Le chocolat de Frèd

Love and chocolates go hand in hand. If there’s someone in our town who knows chocolate that’s Le Chocolat de Fred. Fred’s delicious products have been available in Dun Laoghaire since 2018. Whatever they offer, they want it to be as indulgent and memorable as possible. This is why he and his team pay particular attention to their recipes and the ingredients they use.

All their products – chocolate, coffee, ice cream, buckwheat flour that they use for galettes, etc. everything has been cautiously selected and then thoroughly tested before served to their happy customers.

For Fred, the motto “French Soul on Irish Soil” is the key, as he was very keen to share what he has always loved at home with Irish people who have welcomed him so nicely.

True to the spirit of local business and serving the local community, the reason why Fred chose Dún Laoghaire is that he wanted to provide service to people who live around him. He loves the idea of welcoming in his café his kids’ friends, parents, his wife’s colleagues, his neighbors, his GP, a lady from Tesco… and guess what? This is exactly what is happening.

Fred & Emily of Le Chocolat de Fred

Something special for Valentine’s Day from Le Chocolat de Fred

Everything is great for Valentine’s Day at Le chocolat de Fred as this is a place to treat yourself. For instance, couples could share their large decadent hot chocolate. It is very special as it is their classic hot chocolate extravagantly self-indulgent with a double shot of chocolate and a double portion of cream. “Miam-miam” as they say in French.

Also, why not try their new home-made mendiant slabs to take home? They are available in 3 different sizes.

How to Buy From Le Chocolat de Fred

Here’s where you can find Le Chocolat de Fred:

96 George’s Street Lower, Dún Laoghaire

Website

Google Reviews Le chocolat de Frèd

Dublin Loves Bikes/Breakaway Coffee Shop

Biking and love? Absolutely! With so many new cycling paths in Dun Laoghaire, you can experience a lovely romantic ride with your partner and enjoy each other’s company while doing something fun.

And where to get your bike? Dublin Loves Bikes got started when they started hiring bikes. They went into retail five years ago and that was when Joseph set up the shop on York road. His business doubled every year. And then 2020 and Covid-19 happened. In 2020, business just went above and beyond everyone’s expectations. The bike industry became incredibly important to everybody. They sold every single bike they could get their hands on but as the bikes came in bits and pieces needing assembly and time they were fortunate to have good customers who were willing to wait.

The business was getting much bigger than it had been so they made a decision around October to move to bigger premises. In January of this year they opened as both a coffee shop and bike shop. Their showroom is now open in the new location, but they are expecting in the following weeks to move their workshop over so they could be one big happy family in the new shop.

When you are in Dublin Loves Bikes (DLB) shop their team will help you to buy the right bike for YOU, not just the right brand. Something like your dream bike. They pride themselves on having a really good team of mechanics. DLB tries to stay away from big brands, as the big brands are very well catered for. They tend to do some of the more specialist brands and they do a lot of custom builds. It’s worth mentioning that probably 70% of all of their bikes are sold on the bike to work scheme. Furthermore, the bike to work scheme allowances was increased this year, which positively impacted bike shopping. Hopefully, the situation with suppliers will improve in the near future.

The biggest growing area at the moment is cargo bikes. People are realizing that they don’t need a car to get by in the city. And David has seen some pretty amazing situations where a family of four with two cars bought two cargo bikes instead. They’re taking the kids to school, doing the shopping, and going to work. They do it all on cargo bikes now. And that’s amazing to see.

Joe, co-manager at Dublin Loves Bikes/Breakaway Coffee Shop

Something special for Valentine’s Day from Dublin Loves Bikes

We mentioned that Dublin Loves Bikes now has a coffee shop together with their showroom, so they are offering 50% off for couples who turn up for a coffee at their window.

Their coffee shop is open seven days a week, from 8 o’clock, till 5 o’clock every day, except for the weekends when it is 9 am to 4.30 pm on Saturdays and 10 am to 4 pm on Sundays. They’ve already built up a really loyal following of customers. The coffee brand that they use is very popular. So they’re delighted to have it on board as a brand.

How to Buy From Dublin Loves Bikes

Even since the pandemic started, Dublin Loves Bikes were pretty quick to point out to people to purchase things through the website.

And quite often, if customers are local, DLB staff would deliver the bikes themselves. When a bike is available the delivery is quick. People also can click and collect from the shop. If people want to view a bicycle, they can make an appointment to come to the showroom. You can visit a bookings page to schedule your time. And the same applies to the booking service for the bikes. The shop is fully open in that regard. DLB is taking bikes in daily. They have a lot of customers coming at the moment and making sure that their bikes are getting the winter service to prepare their bikes for spring.

Here’s where you can find Dublin Loves Bikes:

72 York Rd, Dún Laoghaire

Website

Google Reviews Dublin Loves Bikes

Florence Lingerie

Spice up your Valentine’s Day with perfect lingerie. We know just the right person for you in Dun Laoghaire to help you in this quest. Ruth from Florence Lingerie has served the ladies of our town for almost 20 years and she knows bras inside out. Bra fitting is a core service at Florence Lingerie and they offer personal service. When ladies come to her shop, they can expect competent, confident, and professional service. Ruth will make sure that a bra is in the right size and shape to suit all body types. In return, this will make ladies feel better in whatever they are wearing. Whether you are looking for a sports bra, bridal brighter, or a bra for other occasions, Ruth has everything you need.

What makes her shop special is the fact that she is in Dun Laoghaire for a very long time, her passion for the business and personal service. Her shop carries leading brands of quality underwear so the customers are loyal and always happy to come back. Even if ladies drop in for an impromptu purchase, they always come back to the shop when they are passing the area. Being in Dun Laoghaire for so long made her witness different generations of her customers. It’s always nice to see when a mother is coming to the shop with her daughter to buy her first bra and then the same girl coming to the shop for her bridal lingerie when it’s time for her to get married. As Ruth said, it’s nice when the different generations are coming back to her all the time.

Ruth, Owner at Florence Lingerie

Something special for Valentine’s Day from Florence Lingerie

Florence Lingerie is offering Gift Vouchers for Valentine’s Day. Florence Lingerie is offering a great choice of negligee nightwear, bras, shape/support wear, and hosiery. Please visit her Instagram page, or call at 01 2808 641 for any queries, delivery, and posting. 

How to Buy From Florence Lingerie

Covid-19 made doing business for Ruth quite challenging, but Ruth found a way to be there for you. You can find her a few times a week in her shop. She is taking orders online over her Instagram Direct Messages or over a phone call 01 2808 641. While the bra fittings are difficult to do during these times she is more than happy to discuss & will get your size for you.

Here’s where you can find Florence Lingerie:

97 Patrick St, Dún Laoghaire

(01) 280 8641

Website

Google Reviews Florence Lingerie

Ready to Buy a Special Gift For Someone You Love?

It doesn’t have to take much to express how much you care and love someone. Meaningful and beautiful gifts are within your reach with Dun Laoghaire businesses that managed to stay open despite the circumstances. Make the most of your Valentine’s Day with a beautiful flower, shared hot chocolate, bike ride, or perfect underwear. As long as we have and support each other, that’s all that matters.

Thank you for supporting our Dun Laoghaire business community!

Please note that all participants in the above photos kindly met at their business location by appointment in a socially distanced manner and temporarily removed their face masks to pose for the photos for this feature.

For a list of all the retail outlets in our town please see our Dún Laoghaire Town business directory.

Would you like us to include your business in future Love Dún Laoghaire features?

We would be delighted to, please send an email to [email protected] with details of your location in Dún Laoghaire and we will be in touch. 

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