Christy Bird

How this place is still in business I don’t know. As Jo M said previously, kudos to them on their lovely display out the front. It’s an excellent way to get people in the door. Just a real shame they have a serious inability to keep anyone in there after that.
I have not been spoken to in such a rude and abrupt manner in quite some time — Mr Bird himself honestly made me feel like a naughty child for daring to ask a question.
After having a (very short) browse as well, I can confirm that there are very little items of any real interest in there. Normally I walk out of a shop like this wanting about a million different things, but nothing really caught my eye here.
To be honest, even if it had, I wouldn’t buy it. There may be a bit of a ‘nose off despite face’ syndrome going on, but I would not darken the doors of this establishment again, despite anything of any interest in here.
Manners cost nothing.

The owner/​manager of this shop seems more interested in doodling on his laptop than serving customers. I found him to be quite rude and his prices are well above what they should be. I walked into this shop to view a mirror that was advertised on
for € 55. The price tag on it in the shop however was € 75. I mistakenly offered him € 60 for it to which he replied ‘Eh, that’s a bit light’. I responded and told him he had it up on adverts for less. He then checked this on his laptop and agreed to sell it for € 60 even though he then knew at this point that it was up on adverts for € 55. I know he has to make money but people don’t appreciate dishonesty. As a result, I did not come back the next day to complete the purchase.
I should have learned my lesson after that but regrettably, I returned a few days later to see if I could view a half barrel planter which is basically a wooden plant pot. This was also on adverts. I asked him had he got any of these left to which he abruptly replied ‘yeah they’re downstairs’ and continued to doodle — as usual — on his Iaptop. I went down and it took me about 15 mins to find them as they were buried behind a load of old chairs. All he had to do was get up off his arse for 2 mins to point them out but instead I ended up wasting a fair bit of time searching through his rubble.
Anyway, I found them eventually but it turns out they were too big so I didn’t want to buy them then. However, while I was digging for the plant pots, I found a nice oval shaped galvanised steel bucket buried at the back of this dusty basement. It had nice little handles that caught my eye and I figured that I could probably use this as a planter for my little tree instead of the wooden pots that I saw on adverts. There was no price tag on it so I brought it up to him and asked him how much? He replies € 35.
That seemed very steep to me so I said I couldn’t pay that and that I could give him € 20 to which he replied ‘Then you won’t be getting it so’… He then said ‘where would you get one of those’?
I have since found out that the answer to this question my ‘friend’ is a hardware store not too far away in Rathmines for € 12. Yes € 12 and not € 35! You can also get lovely oval wooden planters from
for € 18. They are the exact same size and the exact same shape.
To be fair, The Christy Bird shop itself is lovely and has some pretty neat stuff. It really is a diamond in the rough and I can’t help but feel that the management of this place really lets it down. It’s a bit sad really cos it could do a roaring trade I’m sure if only it was run better. Unfortunately I have to say that the cons outweigh the pros in this case by far. The owner/​manager is rude, obnoxious, unhelpful, doesn’t know how to treat customers and the stock is overpriced. All things considered, I think 1 star is a fair rating for this shop. My advice to anyone contemplating a visit to this place would be as follows — Avoid like the plague!

Christy Bird is pretty much a look-but-don’t buy shop when you’re a student. I love having a look around in here because there are a lot of pretty pieces of furniture and collectibles to admire, including a seriously cool totem pole. However, the prices seem a bit steep and the recession didn’t seem to have an effect on this shop either. I also found out that you can get made to order shelves and cupboards here, which are great if you want to take advantage of that last bit of space in your apartment.

Christy Bird has to be the most famous and best known auctioneer on this side of the city centre. The deceptively large interior is always overflowing with grandfather clocks and often a large numbers of grandfather clocks will burst through the small doorway, spilling into the street, holding up traffic and generally being a nuisance.
The deafening hourly donging is known to upset migrating birds, sending them careening off deep into the Atlantic never to return, and to jeopardise our ability to monitor seismic activity effectively.
Only messin’ … Christy Bird’s have an illustrious past, the original proprietor was directly involved with a number of the landmark events at the foundation of the state. Ironically, given my somewhat fictitious introduction, the first item sold here was a clock and since then Christy’s has gone from strength to strength.
It will invariably be the best stocked and most interesting shop of its type and though expensive all the stock will be legitimately antique if they say it is.

I was out for a run and I wheezed my way past Christy Bird and stopped dead in my tracks. I jogged clumsily backwards and stopped to stare at the coolest old baby carriage I have ever seen. It was straight up Victorian beauty, and all sorts of visions of lace-​clad women with huge hats pushing their fat little Victorian babies through some lush estate. I wanted it baaaad. Too bad it was priced at a month’s rent. WTF. Seriously??? It was rusty and kind of dirty… THAT much money? I jogged on in disgust.
Naturally when I got home, I changed my clothes and naturally went right back to Christy Bird to investigate. I knew that if something that cool was on the sidewalk, there were bound to be more treasures buried within. Of course there were, because stores that are filled from top to bottom with old stuff are just plain awesome. From vintage cameras to Tiffany lamps to gold rocking chairs to metal filing cabinets, Christy Bird has something to excite any lover of old stuff. The prices, however, are pretty ridiculous in my opinion. I saw a coat rack for 250. That is so insane I actually laughed out loud.
Aside from the prices, it is a fun place to wander around and fantasize about who owned it all so long ago.

Kudos to Christy Bird for always having an interesting arrangement of their furniture and antique goods on display outside their store. I love admiring the pieces as I walk past, imagining this piece or that in my yet-​to-​materialise first home, blissfully unaware of how few of the shop’s items I’d actually be able to afford.
Most of the items in store are genuine antiques, and good quality at that, so their pricetags soar into the thousands, depending on the item, of course. Walnut sideboards, upholstered Victorian armchairs, delicately sculpted hat stands and tasteful occasional pieces fill the entrance to the store, turning it into a labyrinth of furniture and antiques.
If you are able to negotiate your way inside you will find yourself in a treasure trove of amazing items. Ancient photographic equipment lies on a shelf alongside kitchen platters my mum would adore, and hanging infront of that you might just spot an old-​fashioned bridle (for a horse). There’s a very cool piano (or is it a pianola?), some very impressive dolls houses and a whole floor of office furniture.
If you are in need of a new piece of furniture and are willing to fork out that little bit extra for a well-​built, antique piece, Christy’s is the place for you.