Pop Up Emporium Prepares to Open

Pop Up Emporium Prepares to Open

We are returning to Castle Quay with a very special pop-up shop.

Opening its doors on 19th November, the We Are Bedford Pop-Up Emporium will showcase the very best in Bedford’s crafters, makers, designers and musicians in time for Christmas. This weekend we blew out the cobwebs with a Ukulele workshop while we prepared the shop for our big opening next weekend.

MangoJam, Sideshow Designs, David Litchfield, Rebecca De Winter, XBlox, Artisan Furniture and a host of others will all get a chance to experience a retail environment and it is hoped that the knowledge gained may lead to them taking the decision to open their own shop in the town.

“We are passionate about enhancing Bedford town centre and promoting the wealth of creativity here on our doorstep,” explained Kayte Judge, co-founder of We Are Bedford. “The Pop-Up Emporium will not only bring customers to the area but also highlight the immense talent that is in our town.”

Trading until mid December and manned by the makers themselves and other volunteers, the shop will have an ‘Enchanted Forest’ theme. Creative sponsors Bonfire CI have worked alongside visual merchandiser Sam Schobs to bring the concept to life, and it’s hoped that it works its magic on the people of Bedford.

“All our independent retailers depend on Bedfordians spending in the town – especially at Christmas – rather than in Milton Keynes or Cambridge,” said Kayte. “We have worked with local retailers to ensure that our products are not available anywhere else in the town centre, therefore giving locals greater choice among all the small shops that make Bedford unique.”

The Pop-Up Emporium will signal the last large-scale project from We Are Bedford until mid 2012. Each of We Are Bedford’s events have been funded by a Catalyst Fund from the RSA and have received great support from the Borough Council and many local businesses.

Said Kayte: “We’ve proved that with hard work and dedication there is a great community spirit that can be harnessed for the good of the town. We have achieved so much over the last 12 months and hope that people of Bedford will continue to use the We Are Bedford social media forums to build lasting community initiatives in the town.”