After nearly seventy years of business, independent family-owned Stein Opticians has closed its doors for the last time. Operating in the Harcourt/Camden Street area since 1944, the shop was opened by Dublin-born Mendel Stein who was born in 1915 and passed away in 2000.
Like many of Dublin’s first large wave of Jewish emigrants, Mendel’s family settled in the ‘Little Jerusalem’ area of Portobello/South Circular Road.
Mendel became heavily involved in sports and the scouting movement as a young man. In 1945, he established the Apollo gym with Paddy Whelan. Their membership spanned a cross-section of Irish society. He was also active with the Dublin Maccabi Sports Club, Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and used to train daily right up until he was well into his 80s.
As featured on this blog last year, Mendel’s ophthalmic optician practice at 36 Harcourt Road became one of the most popular opticians in the city. Customers included Michael MacLiammoir, Hilton Edwards, Harry Kernoff and others at the heart of the Dublin art and theatre scene.
An epic David vs. Goliath fight broke out in 1983 when developers wanted to demolish his practice to make way for a new office block. From the earlier article it was noted that :
While other property owners and lessees of buildings due for demolition accepted the substantial compensation, Mendel decided that he wasn’t going to give in so easily. He said that he would not leave until they gave him a new shop in the immediate vicinity and a guarantee that his (beautiful) shopfront would be preserved.
Articles on the campaign from the time period can be viewed here.
Spurred on by local support, Mendel held out and eventually received a guarantee that the shop would be taken down intact and re-erected at a new location in nearby Grantham Street off Camden Street. It traded here for the next thirty years.
This shop eventually closed its doors for the last time on Christmas week 2013. Mendel’s daughter Amelia, who worked with her dad for many years and ran the business since his passing in 2000, now plans to concentrate on her photography. She told me that she would be referring her customers to Fitzpatricks opticians in Terenure. One of the few last remaining independent opticians in the city.
I went down on Thursday 19th December to take some pictures and to mark what is an end to an era.
Hi This is not necessarily for the blog but feel free if you wish. First of all thank you for organising what might have been an interesting evening at P. Macs last night. It was my first time at a ŒCome here to me¹ event.
Unfortunately, for me, your efforts were wasted because the venue proved completely unsuitable. I got a reasonable seat near the bar but, apart from people regularly blocking the view (not their fault as they had to get a drink), it was so noisy it was almost impossible to hear the film or the speakers who came afterwards. One certainly could not hear adequately and consistently what the speakers were saying and if they cannot be heard properly then there is no point.
The other thing I would say that Shane MacThomais¹s contribution was completely useless. As far as I could hear he spent 5 (five!) minutes telling us how much he loved Dublin and how Œcreative¹ we all are. Utter drivel. I have been on his Glasnevin tour and the man can do better than that if he wanted to. I wasn¹t the only one to think that.
When the Orla Fitzpatrick started to speak I just gave up and left as did others. I would have liked to hear her and see her work but it was pointless.
You need a more controlled environment for this type of event. Of course there has to be a bar but preferably not in the same room. I went to a Banter evening before Christmas at the Twisted Pepper and they use a room at the back. You take in drinks and can go in and out for more but the bar is not actually in the room. Obviously whoever is hosting the venue has to make a bob out of it and I like a pint as well as the next person but I can get that anywhere. If I could have heard and seen the speakers properly I would have stayed for the whole event. I enjoy things like that and always appreciate listening to people who have a particular expertise. There must be a better venue on the South Side than P. Macs. No harm to P. Macs as the bar staff were certainly excellent and looked after everyone as quickly as they could. The room is just not right.
Anyway thanks for trying.
Best regards
Clive Carroll
great work and congrats for all opticians.
Friendly, Charles From France.