- Culture
- 05 Jun 18
They've known times good and bad. Now Stoneybatter and Smithfield are firmly on the up, as outsides flock to D7 - revitalising old businesses and attracted lots of newcomers too. We get the lowdown from some of the top businesses in the area.
Serving some of the finest hand baked goods from delicious bread to chocolate eclairs, The Green Door Bakery is a dream for those with a sweet tooth. Owner Philip Dempsey told us why he started his bakery and what it’s been like working on the iconic Manor Street.
A baker and supplier by strade, Philip originally devoted all his time to his wholesale company Death by Chocolate.
“Death by Chocolate was established about 20 years ago where we supplied into restaurants, hotels and that kind of thing. Then the proverbial hit the fan. Chefs were calling me saying, ‘Philip, your stuff is great but we’re gonna have to start making our own or else let a chef go’. They were making sherry trifles and we were giving them crème brule and tiramisu and stuff like that. I understood where they were coming from.”
While customers could still walk in and buy their goods from their wholesale premises, Philip felt it was time to move further with his products.
“Places were going out of business and it wasn’t great so we said, ‘We’re screwed unless we open a shop.’”
Knowing there was a customer base waiting for them, Philip set up shop in Stoneybatter in 2012, but immediately felt that they couldn’t just sell cakes and quickly made the decision to do bread as well.
“We said bread and cakes and that’s it. I didn’t even know how to work a cash register. Then we were working away and people kept asking if we were doing coffee.”
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Philip is proud of the fact that he knows most of his loyal clientele by name – something that’s become all too rare in Dublin.
“It’s a real diverse customer base and there’s a real diverse product range we have here as well.”
From sweet treats like cakes and tarts to more savoury chilli sourdoughs and rosemary sourdoughs, The Green Door Bakery will leave you feeling like a kid in a candy shop.
The Green Door Bakery
91 Manor Street Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
(089) 474 9792