Mark 2 Menswear scoop prestigious award

Bryan McCandless, the owner of Mark 2 Menswear in Carndonagh is celebrating, along with his team, Gary McKeague and Carol-Ann Wilson.

The shop has just scooped the prestigious Irish Enterprise Awards, Groomswear Supplier of the Year 2022 title and business is booming.

Speaking to Inish Live, Bryan explained the awards were run by EU Business News, a quarterly publication which also has a digital platform.

Clearly upbeat, Bryan said: “Mark 2 Menswear was nominated for the award by one of our wedding customers from the last year or two. We were delighted and would like to thank them for taking the time and trouble to nominate us, as well as the local community, which has shown us great support during the pandemic.

“The company then contacted us and asked us to provide some photographs and additional information on the weddings we had done in the past year. A review panel looked at all of the material and decided we deserved the award and we won. It is the first award for Mark 2 Menswear and a great reward for all of the hard work we have been putting in over the last year or two.

“In general, while the last couple of years have been challenging, it has also provided an opportunity for Mark 2 Menswear to do things differently.

“During the pandemic, while the physical shop was closed, we set up a website. We simply hadn't had the time to do that before because we were always so busy. It was the silver lining of the closures. We concentrated on setting up a new website and, so far, it has gone very well for us. It allowed us to concentrate on weddings, although we cater for all occasions, Christenings and Confirmations, as well as casual wear and workwear,” said Bryan.

Buoyed up by the Groomswear Supplier of the Year 2022, Bryan was looking forward to exciting times ahead.

A recent Mark to Menswear couple: Barry Fitzpatrick & Heather McKeague

He said: “Before we set up the website, we did not have a way to interact with people, if the shop was closed. During the pandemic, we didn't even have a store front because people could not come into the shop, so, the website has been great in that it enables us to engage with customers at any time.

“Over the last year, getting people back into Mark 2 Menswear has been fantastic and now we have two different ways to interact with customers, online and in store. We are excited and looking forward to, hopefully, getting out of the masks as well in the not too distant future.

“The website has allowed us to sell wedding wear all over the country. We have sent suits to Cork, Dublin and Kerry. That has been interesting and fun during the pandemic. Customers are finding us online and liking what they see.

“It is coming into a very busy season for us now. Wedding and Communion suits will be in great demand coming into the summer, so it was a great time to get the award. We are excited to be moving on. We have bought a new stock and have new styles arriving all the time.

“We are also starting to do some wedding fayres again which is brilliant. They have not taken place for a while. In fact, we will be attending our first wedding fayre since the pandemic, on Sunday, February 27, at the Ballyliffin Lodge and are looking forward to meeting lots of new couples and finding out how we can help make their big day as special as possible,” said Bryan.

Mark 2 Menswear is online at: www.Mark2.ie and on Facebook and Instagram

Another Mark 2 Menswear wedding: Jonathan and Zoe McKeague