Brothers call time on popular Cork toy store after half a century in business

The doors of Noonan’s of Charleville were first opened by John and Jimmy’s grandparents in the 1890s

"It's been a wonderful 47 years," said John and Jimmy Noonan, who will close their Charleville toy store on June 30. Picture: Larry Cummins

An iconic Cork toy store will close up shop later this month after nearly 50 years in business.

Run by brothers John and Jimmy Noonan, Noonan’s of Charleville has been a staple for generations of shoppers looking for everything from dolls to train sets.

But all good things must come to an end and having served the local community since their 20s, the brothers announced that they would downsize the business last month.

“We’re here 47 years now and managed not to kill each other in the meantime,” said John. “I have four children to keep on the straight and narrow and if we want to go away for a weekend we have to get someone to stand in. We’re not totally retiring but we need to try and wind down.” 

The key cutting, greeting card, and sports accessory services will remain after the toy store ceases trading. Picture: Larry Cummins.

The gold leaf ‘J.R Noonan’ sign has been hanging above Charleville's Main Street for over a century. The doors were first opened by John and Jimmy’s grandparents, who ran a grocery and provisions shop. The business eventually expanded under the guidance of the pair's parents, who handed the reigns over to their eldest sons in 1975.

“The name has been over the doors since the 1890s. The sign is preserved and is one of the only ones that has been there that long,” said John.

“The building originally belonged to my grandparents and, block by block, we built the current store. There were toys in just the front of the shop originally, but it was getting too small when it was coming up to November time. People wanted to put their Christmas stuff away so the house was full upstairs.

There were only two rooms that weren’t full of toys and that was the bathroom and the sitting room. The bedrooms had gifts belonging to every mother in the country up until Christmas Eve.

John and Jimmy acquired eight vacant houses in the laneway behind the store to expand the business further, eventually adding cards, sports gear, footwear, key cutting, picture framing, and bicycle repairs into the fold.

The key cutting, greeting card, and sports accessory services will remain after the toy store ceases trading on June 30.

“We’ve had parents and children coming up to us distraught and there are over 11,000 hits so far on our Facebook announcement. We’ve been given lots of congratulations cards as well,” said John.

“We want to say thank you to everyone for the many years of support, friendship, and all the wonderful memories.

“I’ll probably cry my eyes out when we lock up for the final time but it’s about time that we start to enjoy life, and we haven’t closed the door just yet."