Iconic 1,000-year-old King Oak in Tullamore provided the inspiration behind a successful local business

The iconic 1,000-year-old King Oak in Charleville Estate, on the outskirts of Tullamore, provided the inspiration behind the successful business that has been carved out by husband and wife duo, Paul and Emer Lynam.

"Growing up in the Tullamore area we as kids were all aware of the majestic King Oak and its mighty branches," recalled Paul.

"The business we created has several different branches and we thought 'The King Oak' would be the ideal name for it."

Founded just over six years ago, The King Oak – located on Church Road, in Tullamore - incorporates a gift, interiors and lighting store, a bistro/ coffee shop and an outdoor play scape.

From a farming background in Durrow, Paul established his original business, Lynam Garden Furniture – an enterprise he still operates – in 2012.

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Then Emer O'Connor, from an old, established Tullamore business family, entered Paul's life and the soon-to-be husband and wife team opened Millie's Treasure Trove, named in honour of their eldest daughter, in the heart of the Offaly county town.

The business proved a great success and the ambitious duo decided to expand and, inspired by enterprises such as Fernhill in Athlone, The King Oak was born.

"We were very busy the first year and had great plans to celebrate our first anniversary but Covid struck in March 2020 and we had to close the shutters completely," outlined Paul.

The pandemic proved a very challenging time for the Lynams and like many other family-owned Irish businesses they dramatically expanded their online presence.

The following years saw The King Oak open and close due to Government Covid restrictions and it was only recently they celebrated two consecutive full 12-month periods in business.

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While coping with Covid, Paul and Emer, who are parents of three children, Millie (10), JP (6) and Kitty (4), had to also contend with a major family challenge.

Paul explained: "In March 2021, Kitty was born, and our lives changed forever in a marvellous, but challenging way."

Diagnosed with PURA syndrome a year after being born, Kitty is non verbal, cannot walk and also uses a feeding tube.

"PURA is very rare and there are only 750 people diagnosed with it world-wide," outlined Paul.

Kitty has spent prolonged periods in hospital and Emer had to take a step back from the business and become a full-time carer. Now the family benefit from a night nurse service five days a week which has allowed Emer to dip her toes back into the business.

The family faced a further challenge last year when their eldest daughter, Millie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Despite these huge personal challenges, The King Oak continues to thrive, while still having to deal with the aftershocks of Covid.

'Locally sourced products, including Island Farm Foods, Feighery Farm Beetroot Juice, Kilbeggan Organic and Shannon Bridge Pottery, are at the core of the business," said Paul.

"Interiors and giftware, are very much at the heart of our passion. We have come to pride ourselves in selection beautiful, quality occasion pieces for all rooms in your home."

"In-store we have an extensive range of lighting and we can offer in-house advice and further ranges with our stockists. Mirrors have very much become the focus of a room in many homes, and so our range very much reflects the changing trends in interiors."

As the name indicates, said Paul, the customer is the king at The King Oak"

"We treat everyone as we’d like to be treated ourselves and always seek to be honest, open and fair."