Online shopping treat for don Racine customers
TOP fashion items from the award-winning Mayo family-run boutique, don Racine, Castlebar, are now available online, writes Tom Gillespie.
The boutique is the epitome of a retail business success story, growing from humble beginnings to a genuine destination store, which attracts customers from far and wide.
Founded by the Parsons family over 30 years ago, at first it occupied just one half of a shop on Castle Street.
Since then it has expanded outwards on the ground floor premises and upwards too, developing into a spacious, elegant boutique on three floors.
Now their latest expansion is shopping on the worldwide web. And to mark the launch of www.donracine.ie the company is offering an online discount of 10% on all stock from now until Saturday, November 11, along with free postage.
To avail of the offer, online shoppers must quote the discount code ‘Connaught’.
Martin Parsons said they have been working on the website for the past six months.
He added: "We had a full in-house team working on it. We have our own photographer and web designer in-store.
"On the site we are doing the casual stock geared at the younger customers. In the new year we hope to add the mother-of-the-bride stock. Our customers have been looking for an online service and we are delighted to oblige."
There are 10 employees at don Racine, a name often mistaken for ‘Gone Racing’ because of the late founder Michael Parsons' passion for horse racing.
His son Martin explained: "A lot of people thought the name don Racine was ‘gone racing’. My late father Michael had a long list of names and as he went through them most of them were registered and that one wasn’t."
And daughter Helena added: "Dad did not want to call it Parsons. He wanted a nice French name. He wanted the shop to be a classy French boutique and Racine was a French composer and he just put the don before it with a small d."
Martin continued: "As a result, we often get callers looking for ‘Don’."
The stylish design at don Racine includes plenty of comfortable seating for weary shoppers - a welcome respite for tired legs.
This landmark store has remained at the forefront of fashion since the beginning, staying alert to international trends and bringing them to the heart of Castlebar.
Specialising in day and occasional wear, don Racine carries an impressive range of international labels from Paris, Canada and Spain.
The rewards for this high-end boutique have come with a multitude of accolades - winning the Mayo Style Award for Best Boutique last year, RSVP Magazine Best Boutique in both 2015 and 2016 and being voted in the top 10 destination stores in Ireland by the Irish Independent.
The boutique prides itself on offering a personal service from the courteous staff, all of whom come from the extended Parsons family.
Three generations now work together to ensure every customer is given personal attention and all the help they need. The staff have a huge amount of experience and will assist and guide even the most nervous mother of the bride.
Alterations to garments are free of charge and carried out in-store, ensuring the perfect fit without delay.
Of course, no outfit is complete without a hat or fascinator and a wonderful choice is available in-store. Everyone dressed by don Racine looks and feels a million dollars on the big day.
Don Racine carry everything from high-end fashion for a wedding or a day at the races, to stylish business wear, or just a casual outfit or new jeans to make you feel good.
Fresh stock arrives in store every fortnight so there’s always a reason to drop in and see what’s new. The boutique stocks sizes eight to 24, catering for just about anyone from the age of 21 upwards.
Facebook has become an important channel of communication for don Racine and both Helena and Martin Parsons find it a great way to stay in touch with their ever expanding customer base.
Updates are regular and include lovely photos of up-to-date fashion, plus videos of Exposé, Ireland AM and other TV appearances.
Keep an eye out for competitions too – everyone likes a chance to win something stylish.
Special fashion show
A SPECIAL fashion show in aid of St. Brid’s Special School in Castlebar will be held at don Racine, Castle Street, Castlebar, tonight (Wednesday, November 8).
The event, showcasing their entire fashion collection, and organised by Helena Parsons, will commence with a wine reception at 6 p.m. and the show will commence at 7 p.m.
Tickets, costing €15 each, are available from St. Anthony’s school and from the boutique and there will be an array of spot prizes on the night.
This is the third year of the fundraising fashion shows, which are usually staged in February and November.
Last year the recipients were a fund for the later Maeve Gleeson and Mayo Pride LGBT.
The next fashion show in February will be to raise funds for Haiti.
Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.