The story
McElhinney's was founded by John McElhinney in 1968. John McElhinney spent his time driving around Donegal selling his wares from the back of a van. In 1971, he established a small shop in Glenfin Street, Ballybofey, from which he operated for eight years before opening the current Department Store on Lower Main Street in 1979. The current business has faced adversity throughout the years, including surviving both a flood in 1985, and firebomb attack in 1987.
In 1977, the store began to sell Wedding Dresses. The Bridal Rooms have been nominated and won multiple awards including; Best Bridal Retailer 2016 by Xposé Frockadvisor Awards, Bridalwear Supplier of the Year 2016 by Weddings Online Awards, and Wedding Boutique of the Year (Borders) at The Irish Wedding Awards 2017, among many others.
From Wikipedia’s article on McElhinney's, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3