By Lisa Ramsden
IF there’s a school of thought that truly quintessential seaside shops, founded and run by the same family generation after generation, are a thing of the past, then it’s a misguided notion.
For that’s simply not the case in Newcastle, where one of the town’s institutions has just celebrated its diamond anniversary.
From penny sweets in paper bags, to colourful murals, along with its famous ice-creams and quirky trinkets and souvenirs, The Bon-Bon has proudly been a part of Newcastle life for three quarters of a century.
The 1st of March marked 75 years to the day since Mrs Chrstina Lynch, grandmother of current proprietors, Michael Lynch and his sister Fiona Dagidir, opened the shop back in 1951.
Generations have walked through the doors of the shop, and adults, who once stood on their tiptoes as children, eagerly peering over the counter, now bring their own little ones in.
Not only is The Bon-Bon an institution in terms of its appeal for locals.
It’s also just as special to the day-trippers and holidaymakers who call in to get their favoured choice of treat.
Whilst 75 years has seen a lot of changes, during all this time family and community remain at the heart of the shop.
Michael and Fiona say the support the shop has been shown over the years is exceptional.
They are keen to stress that their customers are such a big part of the success of The Bon-Bon, which they describe as “proudly Newcastle”.
As one of Ireland’s last remaining family-owned shops of its kind, siblings Fiona and Michael are understandably proud of their late grandmother’s legacy, her commonsense and her natural business acumen.
Recollecting her grandmother’s work ethic and drive to succeed, Fiona describes her as “a Trojan”, while Michael adds: “We owe a lot to her.”
The Bon-Bon was opened as a result of the success of The Tip Top, which is just up the street, and which was opened by ‘Granny Lynch’ and her sister, May Rafferty, just one year shy of 90 years ago!
Due to its popularity, Mrs Lynch decided to branch out and opened The Bon-Bon which, like its sister business, is a sweet shop that’s like something out of Willy Wonka, with its wide and colourful range of treats and bars.
This, the ‘younger’ of the two, stocks and sells a cornucopia of items, from ice-cream and lollies, to souvenirs, buckets and spades and seasonal goods.
When son Harvey married in the late 1970s, he and his wife Ann took over the business, with Fiona and Michael, along with siblings Grainne and Kevin, doing what they could to help out in the shop during their primary school and teenage years.
“We would have come home from school, got the homework sorted and then we would have been down in the shop at nights, restocking and helping tidy up, it was just part of our family and what we did,” Michael explained.
“We knew we were getting taller once we could see better over the counters and reach some of the higher shelves,” Fiona added.
“From we were no age, we used to be pricing the stock and helping in any way we could.
“It was just part of how our family was.
Looking back on it, we made a lot of great memories, and friends.
“We had to work hard, as from Easter onwards, and back when the town was more of a traditional holiday location, we had to make the most of it as the winter months were a bit harder.
“But we were, and are, very lucky,” she added.
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