Help Refugees Christmas pop-up lets people shop for refugees
Melanie May | 13 November 2017 | News
A pop-up Christmas shop is opening in Soho this month, where people can buy items to directly help refugees.
The Choose Love shop opens on 24 November as an alternative to Black Friday, until 31 January, and lets people buy everything from emergency blankets to school bags and medical equipment to support Help Refugees in their work across Europe and the Middle East.
The space in Broadwick Street in the heart of Soho has been provided by real estate investment trust Shaftesbury and created by creative collective Glimpse, who were behind last year’s campaign that saw all adverts in Clapham Common tube station replaced with pictures of cats in association with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. From the outside the store will look like a Soho boutiques and will showcase a range of items that represent the three phases of a refugee’s experience: Arrival, Camp and The Future. The curated selection of items, such as blankets and gloves, are all items distributed by Help Refugees on the front lines of the refugee crisis. Each item on sale will be accompanied by short stories about how and why it was chosen.
We’re working on a really exciting new project for the holiday season. Can you guess what it is? #ChooseLove #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/XGdyw5NFNp
— Choose Love (@chooselove) November 10, 2017
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Visitors to the store simply take an item’s tag to the till or buy directly from one of the store staff. Along with their purchase, visitors can find out about the work of Help Refugees through the charity’s staff. Costs will range from £4.99 to £499 with an option to even ‘buy the store’.
Josie Naughton CEO of Help Refugees, said:
“It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have a bed, a blanket and a roof over our heads. For thousands of refugees this Winter, these basic human needs are completely out of reach. This shop is all about one simple idea: that we should all choose love this Christmas and help those in need”
James Turner from Glimpse said:
“We want charity giving to become as much part of the festive shopping experience as secret Santa and stocking fillers. This Christmas we’re hoping people will come together, Choose Love and buy gifts for refugees who truly need them.”
The team are also opening an online store, which will be announced closer to launch.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.