O'Meara's Irish House began in 1999 when Megan O'Meara and family purchased the store from Tom and Rose Murray. In 2010, the store itself celebrated its 35th anniversary and underwent a major renovation. With its picturesque cottage setting at the north end of Fish Creek, Door County, the store continues to draw visitors and locals alike. As we enter 2015, we are celebrating 40 years.
We are often asked what is an Irish store doing in the middle of a Scandinavian area? As it turns out, many Irish settled in Door County originally; not to mention that the majority of our customers travel from the Chicago, Milwaukee and beyond. We frequently see some of those Scandinavians coming in for a peek of our fabulous wool room along with the Germans, the Italians and every other ethnicity you can imagine. What we have found is good taste is universal.
In 2006, we added a guest house above the store. We call this one bedroom suite O'Meara's Cottage Loft. Completely private, and recently renovated, O'Meara's Cottage Loft is unlike any other lodging in Door County. We took our cues from our extensive travel in Ireland and patterned O'Meara's Cottage Loft after the charming B & B's throughout the Emerald Isle. Guests are treated to food and tea from Ireland, and also receive a 20 percent discount to our store. Celtic canines are also welcomed guests. When we are not in the store, we are meeting with our vendors either in Ireland or stateside finding the best clothing, giftware and jewelry available. The majority of our vendors are master craftsmen who have been designing and creating for decades, such as John Branigan with Branigan Weavers and John Condron from Fado Jewelry. We, and ultimately our customers, benefit from their experience and knowledge.
