Abode: General Store With A Purpose
While Dublin’s fashion industry has been progressing slowly in recent years, covid has certainly challenged our industry creatives and independent businesses financially. However, this hasn’t stopped Drimnagh resident, Jamie Mann, with his project Abode; A General Store with A Purpose.
Found in 2021, Jamie has since hosted a line-up of successful pop ups around Dublin and stocks a curated selection of garments from authentic brands such as Heresy, Gramicci, Stan Ray and more. Each brand complements the store’s concept which makes for a customer experience that’s both unique and personal.
We talk to Jamie about the cultural cornerstones in Dublin, customer experience, and the future of Abode.
Tell us about your background in retail. Where did your career start?
I made my start working in high street stores, working in different roles from the floor, to visual merchandising; a jack of all trades. It was the days when Topman was all the rage, when skinny jeans, Arctic Monkeys and Skins ruled the roost. After a few dodgy jobs later, I ended up in an amazing store in Australia, called Incu.
The way this store operated showed me how retail should really be. The curation, everything from Carhartt, Acne to obscure Japanese garb from Kapital, it was a baptism of fire. This was everything I wanted in a store. It was in this space where I really got schooled on the importance of customer service and how it should be done. I was there for such a short time but felt like I learned a thousand lifetimes worth in retail.
How did the idea come about for Abode? What motivated you?
I'm still trying to pinpoint the "AHA!" moment and the day that something clicked, but to be honest, I think it was a slow, gradual realisation that I wanted to do my own thing. Creating an experience for customers is something I think is rarely done right, and it's something I have a lot of pride and respect for, so the idea of being a shop merchant, with my own store, own curation and creating my own experiences for clients, became the focal point of all my efforts. Another big part of this journey for me is providing a way of dress that I didn't have access to. What we wear is an extension of who we are, so I love being able to provide more options for mindful expression.
In Dublin, we need more independent shops. The more options, the more authentic retail experiences people have, the more culture can flourish. In every city, people go to independent spaces; Not to shop, but to check the curation, the feel, the vibe of a city. People want to speak with the shopkeepers to find out where to eat, drink, do, what to listen to, what's good, what's not good.
In no other service industry can paying customers walk into a business, chat with staff and leave. - Imagine going into a restaurant, sitting down and looking at the menu, chatting with the staff extensively about the food, and then leaving? It's just not a thing. But this is almost expected in retail, and I love it. That ease of customers coming in, chatting about everything and anything, making these shops the cultural cornerstones of cities.
Tell us about some of the brands that are stocked in Abode?
The brands I work with all have a story and purpose. My favourite are Heresy for starters - A London based brand which is steeped in Irish folklore and imagery. They make amazing graphics and use interesting fabrics and silhouettes. Basically I took every piece from the collection for myself!
Another is Gramicci. New for AW for the shop, they have been around since the 80's with a focus on gear for rock climbing and hiking. They hands down make my favourite pant, the G-Pant. If there's a Venn diagram for fit, comfort and fabric, these guys sit in the sweet spot.
What criteria do you look for in a brand that resonates with your consumer?
The big thing for me is longevity. I think people are all too aware of the effects toxic shopping habits have on the planet. With that in mind, I aim to curate brands that are multi-use, and will happily sit in your wardrobe years down the line. I avoid the word "fashion" at all costs as it inherently means at some point it will be UNfashionable and then forgotten and discarded.
The garment industry is a huge contributor to the climate crisis, so I never push a "sustainable shopping" view, as the more sustainable thing is simply not making new things and buying second hand. Instead I'm in favour of adopting more conscious buying habits of mindfully consuming pieces that we need and will be with us for a very long time. My curation reflects this. I work with brands I love, that do purposeful things and have a story and intent, and above all, made to last!
What Irish brands have you got your eye on at the moment?
The ILK crew up in Dundalk have been doing great pieces for a minute now. I recently became a stockist and love what they do. Working with ateliers in Portugal with small mill productions and amazing heavyweight cottons. I picked up one of their Flock Tee's for myself and it's my go to.
Jamie Mann -
“That ease of customers coming in, chatting about everything and anything, making these shops the cultural cornerstones of cities.”
You had a pop up event at Hens Teeth Studio in Dublin recently, how did this come about?
The whole purpose of Abode is to contribute culturally to Dublin. It's been tough to get to that position as I'm still trying to grow the shop organically, but the opportunity came up for a two day weekender at Hen's Teeth Studio. I was launching Heresy in Dublin, and really felt it was time to start developing the idea of Abode being more than a shop. The space is amazing so I knew it would be perfect to have a multi-dimensional pop-up.
I started with normal trading from Saturday morning, with a transition in a celebratory evening with heaps of beers, visual projections, trad musical performances and finished off the night with a movie screening from the crew at Slaughterhouse Film Club. The reaction was incredible too, so many people interacting with the product and the space.
When and where can we see more pop ups from Abode in the near future?
I just finished up my 9 day Pop-up on Grafton Street with Square Market. The brands I work with and the ethos of Abode is generally anti high street, but seeing the Abode logo on Grafton Street was huge for me, being able to show what I'm doing to a wide audience was an important step in developing my shop.
If you missed that, then I do have some festive pop ups in the pipeline but still TBC.
Photos by Rabie.
Visit https://abodegeneralstore.com to shop the AW range.
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