GPS, Wexford

During the boom times, when the Celtic Tiger was roaring, construction supplies companies were awash with cash. However, in 2008, the housing bubble in Ireland "burst", so to speak. After the crash, housing loans fell by 73% and house prices dropped by about 35%. Up to 12.6% of the Irish workforce had been employed by the industry.

GPS "Homevalue Hardware" was situated on Redmond Road in Wexford Town. It was one of many supplies stores that had existed in the area. Unfortunately, the store was forced to close its doors in February of 2011. During the boom times, its car park would have been filled with customers and mini forklifts carrying construction supplies.

Nowadays, the doors are closed and weeds are starting to squeeze through the concrete.



The building itself looks worn and rusted:



Signs warn motorists that the parking spaces are for GPS customers only:



A photograph from 2009 shows just how quickly a building like this can fall into disrepair: