The Boker stood at 16 Bride Place in Wexford Town, near the corner of Carrigeen Street. Prior to its closure, the site had been home to some form of a corner shop for approximately 70 years.
The name likely originated from the Irish word “bóthar,” which means “road” or “path.” People would often say they were going “up the road” when referring to this area, as it sits at a higher elevation than the surrounding neighbourhoods of Bride Street and Maudlintown.
Over time, the word evolved until locals pronounced it “boker.” This change is an example of a localised phonetic shift.
The Boker’s most recent long-term owner was Hasan Sunguroglu, who ran the business with his wife, Marie, between the mid-1990s and 2016.
During the summer of 2016, Sunguroglu sold the business to a local woman named Carmel Nolan. Nolan attempted to continue running The Boker as a shop, but it struggled to compete with larger retailers such as Tesco, which can strike deals with suppliers and afford to sell certain items below the average retail price. Google Street View images indicate that the property had once again been listed for sale by May 2017. The Boker was not alone in its struggle. In the past 20 years, local shops such as Crossroads, the Olde Pound, Moore’s, Byrne’s of Bishopswater, Downtown News, and Orla Hore have all closed.
The Boker was particularly popular among the students at the nearby CBS, as it sold rolls, sandwiches, sausage rolls, and other deli foods. At lunchtime, the shop would be crammed with students clamouring for a spot in front of the counter.
Some of the students, known as ‘Boker boys,’ would gather outside the shop in the mornings, at lunchtimes, and in the evenings.
Those who smoked cigarettes would refer to themselves as ‘the Boker smokers.’
Following its closure, it became a vape shop called the Superior Vape Company.
In August 2021, Declan and Mary Roche leased the premises and opened a new shop called An Boker Nua, meaning “the new Boker,” which was a nod to its original name. The venture faced significant challenges, and they were forced to close in December 2022.
The unit is now home to The Boker Barbers.