Howya! Dave Andrews (Laura Jane Adult Boutique)

Didn't you know that Galway is full of interesting characters? Well, we want to give you a chance to get to know some of the sound people of Galway so join us in saying Howya! to some fascinating figures... This month we got chatting to Mr Dave Andrews....

Tell us about yourself..
My name is Dave Andrews. I am the owner of Laura Jane. I’m the most easy-going guy in the world. I worry about nothing and am well capable of dealing with people’s problems and giving them advice.

At what point did you decide that this was the business for you? 
1994. I was married. I had 6 children. I had no job. I said ‘what can I do that nobody else is doing?’ and this is what I did. I opened an adult store in Dublin and now I’m in Galway, 13 years. The one in Dublin closed, because Laura Jane is not Laura Jane unless I’m here.

What’s the most rewarding part of the job?
There’s multiple answers for that. Since I started, the industry has changed totally. It’s gone from being behind closed doors and pressing buzzers to come in, to women walking in now as if they’re walking into a supermarket. Women have changed everything, so there is a real satisfaction of seeing women coming in. We get a lot of women that were in bad relationships, and they come in and they’re all shy and they walk out the door with a nice toy and smiling all over their faces.

Would you say Galwegians are prudish or do people frequent your store more than we would think?
There’s a lot more people coming in. When you mention Galway people being prudish, Galway’s not the old Galway of 20 years ago. It’s multinational now, we’ve got people from all over the world living here. Totally different. Totally.

Any plans for Valentine's?
Nothing at the moment. I’m single, so any good women out there looking for a man who’s nearly dead give me a shout.

What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?
That’s hard. I don’t look at doing things as being memories and nice things to do for people. I think the nicest thing you do for anyone is to sit down, don’t judge them and listen to their problems.

What’s your biggest seller on Valentine’s?
The biggest seller on Valentine’s, everyone thinks it’s lingerie but it’s not. It’s sex toys.

What is your favourite thing to do in Galway?
I don’t have many hobbies. The job is my hobby, the job is basically my girlfriend. What I used to like to do pre-Covid was I used to like going out to pubs. I like live music, sitting and having a few pints. I’d normally book a hotel in Galway because it was cheaper to stay overnight than it was to get a taxi home and a taxi back in. Now I’m just married to the job.

Tell us one thing you would change about Galway?
The road system. Definitely.

Have you ever brought your work home with you?
Nope.

Tell us a secret...
I have no secrets. No secrets at all. I always believed that if you have a shit memory you need to tell the truth all the time.

At Valentine’s, people use the phrase ‘say it with flowers’ but what would you say..?
Flowers don’t last as long as batteries.  

Photos by Ciarán MacChoncarraige