Insomnia's flagship store on St. Stephen's Green opens its doors for the first time since April this week, unveiling a new look that incorporates natural wood, granite and brick finishes with a retro vintage feel.
The store also now features retro cinema signs with coffee inspired messages, wall galleries and book shelves that operate a book swap system where you can take a book away as long as you leave one to stay.
The inspiration for the new design is intended to reflect Insomnia’s coffee heritage while also paying homage to vintage tea shops and industrial urban lofts, according the release from the company.
The St. Stephen's Green store was originally opened as sandwich shop Bendini & Shaw by Insomnia CEO Harry O'Kelly in 1996 before being rebranded as Insomnia in 2003. O'Kelly stated that: “It’s hard to believe this is the same store that I started in 21 years ago. What used to be a dull and plain store has been transformed into an enchanting showpiece through the use of a colourful and authentic theme. As we continue to expand into different markets, we realised pretty quickly that having a one-size-fits-all design really isn’t very effective. We want to be where the customer is and we want to reflect the community we’re going into."
