Arnotts

Coffee! I need coffee!
So I darted in here like a crack head looking for my smack. Pacing up and down frantically in the coffee aisle I decided to buy two coffee makers. Not rational at all, but I was not in a rational state of mind.
I got a continental style coffee marker, that is the best type… & I also got a Bodum plunger that makes a singular cup. Excellent selection of the higher end makers.
My nerves are back to normal once more.

This is one of these odd shops that you have to make an effort to get your head around.
so, Arnotts is a big department store on Henry street in Dublin city centre, what in gods name made them to decide to stick one of their departments way out in Stillorgan miles from the parent store?! its not even like its in the most excitign shopping centre either!
Anyway, we should be glad its there, it does nice good quality shoes and it has staff that you imagine have worked there for years and really see shoe selling as a particular trade which i suppose it is!

This is where I used to be taken to get all my shoes all through my education.
I remember as a whipper snapper being astonished and fascinated by all the bizarre foot measuring machinery, which was frivolously covered in animal stickers, and waiting with baited breath to hear my new shoe size.
Then, as a teenager I got most of my school shoes here too. I remember thinking that no matter what clique you were in they had the right type of black shoes. Big, tall, clunky rubber shoes for girls who lived outside the law, clippedy-​clop shoes for the would-​be cheerleader girls, flats for the high-​achievers, deck shoes for the future business leaders of tomorrow, slip-​on leather shoes for the wannabe ladies men and cumbersome Clark’s lace-​ups for the young P.D.‘s.
It’s true the staff here are expert, no-​nonsense and patient, as David D pointed out, and I reckon it’s from steering parents and children through innumerable shoe related sulks and tantrums for decades that’s made it so.

Seriously, how many shoes does a lady need?! How many shoe shops are too many? OK, granted, I am male and therefore inherently unqualified to speak on the subject so I will defer to my better half who actually has an opinion on this place.
She says the selection is not at all bad and the prices are reasonable (again, we differ considerably on this point)
The shop is well laid out and the staff friendly, it is (apparently) worth checking out!

I recently popped in here in a mad rush to get some shoes before heading out to a wedding. I was possibly their very first customer of the day and i came in out of the rain looking for very fast service and a good price.
This was a lot to ask at 8.45 in the morning and in most stores i would have been met with tired eyes and my fair share of moany excuses… not here.
The lady who served me had offered me assistance the second i walked in with a smile and a skip in her step, she understood my rush and had 3 to 4 pairs of shoes suitable for the occasion out in front of me in no time.
I was quite impressed.
This store is a little lost due to it being in one of the least popular shopping centres in south Dublin, but it still has competitive prices and clearly motivated staff.
Four thumbs up and some lovely shoes!