Students Sophie Ward and Sophie O’Brien, shopping on Henry Street on Tuesday, both fondly remember their first purchases from the fashion accessories retailer Claire’s which targeted a “tween” girl demographic. Claire’s arrived in Ireland in the 1990s and previously had a popular outlet in the Ilac Centre. The few remaining branches still operating in the Republic have now closed.For Ward, her first Claire’s purchase was the “make-up phone”, a lipstick palette which came in the shape of a flip phone, and had a mirror where the mobile phone screen would normally be. “I got clip-on earrings in there when I was a kid as well because I didn’t get my ears pierced till I was a bit older,” she says. O’Brien remembers the “plushies” [soft toys] as well getting her ears pierced there. The friends attend the Techological University of Dublin (TUD).Ward, who comes from Swords, says that she believes the target demographic of kids and tweens has moved on from what Claire’s has been offering. “It is targeted towards kids, but then a lot of what’s in there is not kid’s stuff. They’re more into wearing real make-up and skincare and all that kind of thing, but Claire’s never really got to that point of what is trendy nowadays.“It’s all the same kind of stuff that they had when we were kids, and I don’t think it’s catering towards today’s kids.” [ Claire’s closes all of its remaining Irish storesOpens in new window ]O’Brien agrees: “Kids have kind of aged out of that phase of wearing fake make-up.” The Glasnevin native also believes that the market has become more competitive. “I feel like a lot has come up to replace it, like Lovisa [jewellery retail chain]. I feel like it’s not that big a gap in the market,” she says. Walking down a bustling Henry Street on Tuesday afternoon, Dubliner Christine Orford is enjoying an ice cream while window shopping.Orford, like many young women across Ireland, remembers how popular the ear piercing service was in Claire’s, where it would be often be performed in the shop window of the store.Christine Orford “My first memory of Claire’s Accessories was really wanting to get my ears pierced when I was in sixth class going into first year [of secondary school], but my mam wouldn’t let me do it.” “That was a bit of a nightmare because I was really, really sad about it but she was right because I still don’t have my ears pierced even now. So I didn’t need my ears pierced to fit in,” she says. “It doesn’t play a big role in my life any more but I say a lot of smaller people will be sad to see Claire’s go. Is it a sign that people are buying things online more?” she asks. Fiona O’Connor, from Stonybatter, although not a regular Claire’s customer has bought gifts for her nieces and nephews there, is disappointed to see another shop leave the high streets of Ireland.“I’m sad to see any retail leave the city centre,” she says. “I think having a good variety of shops in the city centre gives people a reason to come in, makes it vibrant and it creates jobs. So I am sorry from that point of view.”However, Mary Colquhoun is not sad to see the chain go as she believes that is was “very expensive anyway”. “I think you can get the same things elsewhere.”Fiona O'Connor Quantity surveying student Isabelle Callinan is also a Claire’s ear piercing alumni, and is one of those who will “100 per cent” miss the shop, as she has fond memories of going there as a child. “It was my first experience buying jewellery and leaning into my femininity and growing up and wanting to match mam,” she says. “It’s such a shame. If it is gone, little girls won’t have that same experience of going in and buying your first hairband and rings and necklaces.”The retailer’s administrators Kroll this week confirmed that the company’s remaining 154 stores across Britain and Ireland had closed with immediate effect. Around 1,300 employees have been made redundant.