Got my skirt done in a rush! Perfect tailoring and very friendly service. Pricing good too..read more

McEvoys used to be the Bees Knees in Newry, forty years ago it was THE shop to go to for fashion,…read moreundergarments, wool, needles and every other imaginable/unmentionable requirement drapery wise. Over the past year or so it has plummeted in standard and shot up in price, (the elderly and young were the staple clientele of McEvoys). Why did they have to change it? I'm a great believer in 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' if you had a sick older relative in hospital...get them something in McEvoys, a child ready for school...get them kitted in McEvoys..a nice new pair of big women's pants...go to McEvoys. Now they seem to have tried to move upmarket and more 'fashion' based, basically just like all the other department stores around. McEvoys, go back to your roots, big pants, thermal vests, fleece nighties, fat men's pyjamas, terry tea towels, knitting needles, wool, stuff for turning up hems, bed socks, thick welly socks, flat caps and cheap and functional baby clothes. Basically the stuff that is far too un trendy to be in most other places but essential to the older person. Granny will pay a small fortune to have a decent pair of knickers that will come up past the waist band of her skirt you know. And you can never have too many thermal vests. Go back to where you were 10 years ago it will be much better!

This shop is not somewhere I would personally shop, not until I'm in my 50s and looking for an…read moreoutfit, or some accessories for a wedding. They have some lovely outfits here available for that age and style of a woman, and are very good at helping people choose what they need to prepare and dress for the big day - because as we all know, the Mother of the Bride needs to look good too. We went here with my friends' Mum, who was trying to find an outfit for the wedding, and she tried on nearly every bloody outfit in the shop - but the staff had real patience and what seemed a genuine interest in helping her find 'that' outfit. She didn't find the one for her here, but I have to say it's worth a look for women of that age and taste who are looking for an important outfit for a wedding or special event.

Although Next is the largest clothing retailer by sales in the United Kingdom, I still prefer Marks…read more& Spencer. M&S had this title up to around 2014. Next has way over 30,000 employees so it's a significant operation. The amount of floor space in this store is over two floors and impressive; and they also have a coffee bar on the first floor. Here again I prefer M&S coffee so it's just as well there's an M&S a few yards away. Yes it's yards as we left Europe so it's back to imperial. Feet, inches and all that jazz. In March 2023, it was announced Next had acquired vintage fashion and homeware retailer Cath Kidston out of administration for £8.5 million. The acquisition meant Next had bought the brand name, domain names and intellectual property, but remaining stock was to be sold off by administrators and the four Cath Kidston stores (London, York, Ashford, Cheshire Oaks) were to shut. My problem with this mega wealthy chain store is a deserved reputation of failing to pay workers a living wage when George Bain, who set the first UK minimum wage in 1999, confirmed they really could afford to. I knew George back then. I could listen to him speak all day long. UK taxpayers pay over £30 billion a year to low-paid workers through tax credits, and retail companies - which have the highest proportion of low paid workers - are still exploiting austerity and effectively adding staff wages to the UK welfare bill. M&S refuse to consider real living wages for workers. When asked to explain the exploitative salaries of lower-wage workers despite stonking large profits, a presumably well paid Next spokesperson replied that the company had thirty applicants for every job advertised - which is side stepping an honest answer of simply being greedy bastards - would they pay even less if they had say sixty applicants for every job?

So the man behind the business died - must be near two years ago now. He was a gentle man and a…read moregrafter. I only knew him to say hello to or to buy from. My only real conversation that I ever had with him was over 50 years ago when I extended my sympathy after a bomb exploded and ruined his shop. I really don't know where these local giants of men and women continued to find the wherewithal to trade and maintain employment in a civil war. It might have been the 1960's or maybe the 1970's but it was here I got my first pair of wranglers; it was here I got my first pair of Levi's. And here I got my bell bottom jeans, white Showaddywaddy shoes and my green Fightin' Irish Notre dam jumper. It was funny to watch the tactics back then - all the price labels contained small symbols to allow staff to know the real cost rather than the retail price so from there you got your much lauded 'discount'. I remember to this day paying £45 to PJ for a pair of Levi's in 1973 which was a huge sum back then. No discount allowed on them, no symbols that's the price 'our hands are tied.' There had been disastrous floods in USA that year that affected the cotton crop so the price of denim shot up. It was called 'price maintenance' which really meant Strauss would refuse to sell to small retailers or independents if they offered discounts. Turned out to be an illegal activity but I'm sure they knew that anyway. So fast forward to now. We have a family wedding and for the third time in 20 years it's Louis Boyd we turn to again for our family wedding sartorial hire from 7 years old to three score years plus VAT. We are measured and fitted by friendly staff with patience and kindness in very impressive surroundings and a heck of a lot of floor space. Long may they thrive.

From the owner: We specialise in the hiring and buying of menswear for formal events and weddings. Whether it's…read moreyour big day or you're attending a school friend's wedding, we have you covered from head to toe! Likewise, if you have a dinner dance or a formal coming up, we'll make sure you look dapper and stand out from the crowd.