A 172-YEAR-OLD Dublin chemist which featured in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses has begun fundraising to help pay for its rent after it was significantly increased.
Sweny’s Pharmacy, located at 1 Lincoln Place in Dublin 2, first opened in 1847. Its interior has been unchanged since.
Since 2009, Sweny’s has been entirely maintained by volunteers who give their time for free, dedicated to preserving the soul of the shop as it was in Joyce’s time.
Every day, the volunteers host open readings from Joyce’s work in the building.
They also inform visitors about the history of the shop and of Dublin, and sell the same lemon soap which Leopold Bloom buys in Ulysses.
Up until last year, the chemist was able to pay the rent out of soap sales and visitors’ donations.
However, Sweny’s has said the rent was doubled last July, meaning that it increased by approximately €1,500 per month.
In order to be able to keep up with the increased rent, the pharmacy has set up a Patreon account to raise money.
For creators, Patreon is a way to get paid for creating the things they’re already creating. For patrons (people who sign up to donate), Patreon is a way to support and pay the creators for making their products.
Speaking of what it would mean if the shop was to shut down, volunteer PJ said: “It would have a huge impact because it’s a great, fun place to be in and to be working in because you get people from all over the world.
“We made many friendships in the past 10 years.”
PJ added that the shop gets a lot of international media attention, which helps attract visitors. He said that just before his chat with TheJournal.ie, two young German students who had seen Sweny’s Pharmacy in German media had visited store.
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