‘People here are sorry that we’re going’: Cork's Wildflower Collective to close 

Artists, crafters, and designers at East Cork’s Wildflower Collective are preparing to close the Midleton store’s doors for the last time next month.

“It’s really sad,” says Virg Laveau, who is one of the artists working as part of the collective. She specialises in clothing – including distinctive kimonos – and jewellery, as well as leatherwork, which she sells via her online shop, through stores, and at markets.

The Wildflower Collective, however, holds a special place in her heart. “We are a family. We’re really close. We bounce ideas off each other,” Virg says of the Collective.

There are currently nine members, with creatives coming and going over the years, and they each take it in turns to work shifts at the shop. They had some of their best years during the covid pandemic, with customers encouraged to shop local.

“There was a huge sense of community,” reflects Virg, “and people realised how important it was to buy local. I found that people made a huge effort to support their own people who were not able to work because everything was closed down, and they bought locally.”

As restrictions lifted, but people continued to work from home, East Cork shoppers remained loyal to their community businesses and footfall on Broderick Street, where the shop is situated, was up.

“For my own business, 2020, ’21 and ’22 were my best years ever,” Virg continues. “I actually got a mortgage even though I’m self-employed and single because my numbers were so great and I’m so grateful.”

Unfortunately, this boost wasn’t to last.

The year 2023 was a devastating one for Midleton with the flooding caused by Storm Babet in October.

“We were closed down for a good few months,” Virg recounts of that hugely difficult time for the community. “We got money from the Red Cross fund, which was amazing. It really helped us. But then the Farmgate restaurant closed and that took a lot of our business.”

The knock-on effect of just one business closing had a major impact on footfall for the Wildflower Colllective. Parking has caused difficulties too.

The ultimate nail in the coffin for the business, however, has been the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“People don’t have as much money to play with,” explains Virg. “And I think that now the crunch is so hard they might go for cheaper options from the likes of Shein or Temu, because these reflect the wallet that they have to play with. And that’s completely understandable”.

Understandable, but bad news for the Collective, who had to make the difficult decision to shut up shop.

The news – which they posted on social media – has, however, resulted in a boost in sales for the artists.

“People here are sorry we’re going, and we’ve had more consistent sales in the last few weeks,” says Virg. “But in the last few months, we’ve had days where we’ve had no sales... it was just so disheartening”.

Disheartening and unsustainable for the physical shop. Virg praises the Collective’s landlord for allowing them to break their contract a little sooner than expected, saying: “we couldn’t have asked for a better landlord. He didn’t charge us anything during the time the shop was damaged by the flood.”

The shop may be closing, but the Collective’s artists aren’t going anywhere. The majority have an online presence through which they sell their wares, as well as attending markets, and some stock their products in other shops around Cork.

Between them all, they truly offer something for everyone, with one maker doing candles, another doing lotions, one making baby clothes, and one making illustrations.

“Then we have Gosia with silver jewellery, Rob who’s making soaps and shaving products, and Connie doing the crochet. Ali makes lampshades from laser cut and wool, and some really funky cards.”

Looking ahead, the Collective has not ruled out the potential for regrouping. Virg notes that they would seek funding first, but that alone can’t guarantee a successful business.

“The economy is what it is. But it doesn’t mean that in the future we can’t put together a model that could apply for seed funding... But it needs to happen in a climate where people are out buying. This is not the time.”

While the Wildflower Collective closing will undoubtedly be a huge loss for the region, Virg remains positive for the arts scene in East Cork.

“There are a lot of activities going on,” she says, “and whenever there’s an event, people are attending. I think the arts scene is well respected in Midleton. There’s a lot of artists in East Cork and there’s a lot of support – the issue is just the financial crunch at the moment.”

The arts are well respected, and so is the Collective. Shoppers may not be able to browse their wares in the Midleton shop for much longer, but, as Virg reminds us, “the brick-and-mortar shop may be gone, but we’re still there”.

The Collective will hand their keys back on January 2, with the shop officially closing at the end of December.

Find the Wildflower Collective members and browse their creations online at the below:

• Virginie (Virg) Laveau: @onthevergeonline / www.onthevergeonline.com
• Gosia Sawika: www.bylovlee.com
• Connie Murphy: www.instagram.com/shanagarryshore
• Maureen Honniball: www.instagram.com/mairinhandmade
• Chris Moody: www.instagram.com/chrismoodydraws
• Robert Karreman: @drksoapcompany / www.drksoap.com
• Erika Hernández: www.instagram.com/eos.ie
• Stacey Walsh: www.instagram.com/the_irish_witch
• Julia Carr: No website/social media but contact for landscape painting queries via juliacarr28@gmail.com

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