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Phibsborough coffee shop ‘Aura’ closes its doors

Aura coffee shop has permanently closed its doors after two years as it is too challenging for the owner to keep the business open.

Aura Coffee Shop on North Circular Road. Photo taken by: Daniel Keegan

The shop, opened by Conor Ennis, was located on the North Circular Road.

Mr. Ennis also has a coffee shop located in Raheny, Dublin 5, and he expressed his difficulties with juggling both coffee shops simultaneously. 

“I find it very difficult to share my time between both locations. I have more of a community in Raheny. My love isn’t there (in Phibsborough). It is more in Raheny”, Mr. Ennis said.

Mr. Ennis decided to open Aura in October of 2022 after his newfound love for coffee took off following the opening of his Raheny shop.

At the time of Auras opening, Phibsborough seemed to be an ideal location for a coffee shop as “there were only one or two other competitors in the area,” he said.

Mr. Ennis also said that there were major housing developments in Phibsborough around the period of the shop opening which encouraged him.

“Quite spontaneously, the unit came up in Phibsborough and I saw Phibsborough had plans for 2000 apartment blocks to go up. It was a real up-and-coming area at the time,” he explained.

“So, when I came across the unit, I thought it was a great opportunity and I just wanted to take things to the next level. I felt I had outgrown Raheny a little bit,” he added.

Once Aura had opened, it didn’t take long for Mr. Ennis to conclude that he had pushed himself too far with his capabilities.

“I found it very hard to keep up with the social media and marketing strategies of both locations at the same time,” he said.

“I didn’t have a seating area [in Aura]. I found that was a big challenge because a lot of the other big cafes down the road did. In terms of the standard, I always thought my coffee was up there with the best in the area and the best in Dublin. Ultimately, I found I wasn’t as passionate about Phibsborough as I was about Raheny,” he added.

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