Chatham Way, Brentwood is set to become a shopping haven for one day only as The Pop-Up Club sets up for a one day takeover in September.
Driving footfall and bringing colour to the British highstreet the company organises successful artisan markets and pop-up shops in empty retail units to create a fun and engaging space for local makers, artists and small brands to showcase and sell their crafts, clothing and accessories.
In addition to supporting established independent brands, The Pop-Up Club provides a great opportunity to those who have used lockdown as an opportunity to turn side hustles into businesses. The pop ups also facilitates the increasing number of people who are looking to shop at independents to support small companies.
Founded in 2017 by entrepreneur Tillie Peel, the pop-up events company helped small businesses and independent retailers earn £140,000 in 2020. This year has seen the pop-up marketplace take over spaces in Manchester, Brighton and London’s Seven Dials. The markets have seen a huge increase in footfall to local areas and high streets, and has given new and independent brands a high street presence.
Now for the first time, The Pop-Up Club is taking on Brentwood in a one day event taking place at Chatham Way car park on Saturday 4th September, 11am-6pm.
Stockists at the Brentwood one day event include unique and contemporary hand-crafted jewellery by Aurora Jewellery, beautiful plantable cards with wildflower seeds from the Plantiful Paper Company and gourmet marshmallows and rocky road treats from The Sugar Boutique and bespoke pieces from Kate Carter Art.
The event will also host a live music stage hosted by popular music venue, Hot Box Live, and local record shop Hey Joes. The lineup of back to back musical acts includes Eden Nash, Longy, Armoured Man, DJ Darryl Butcher AKA Simple Pleasures, and more.
Shoppers with little ones in tow will also be pleased to hear there is a dedicated kids area to keep tiny ones entertained. The area will feature acts such as Peter Optical Storyteller, who has tales and comedy that will have children enthralled as he talks of penniless peddlars, long limbed lands and beasts with bellowing backsides!
A chill out area will also allow shoppers to kick back in between shopping while street food will keep you fuelled while browsing the stalls. Shoppers can choose culinary delights from I am Virya, a sustainable Indian takeaway business helping to prevent homelessness. A fully stocked bar from Leigh-On-Sea’s Hoppily will also keep shoppers well hydrated with their offerings of craft beer including Wild Card Brewery, S43 Brewery and Abbeydale Brewery.
Located in easy access of the main high street and shopping hotspot Crown Street, The Pop-Up Club joins Brentwood who are leading the county as the first borough to launch Local Rewards – a virtual rewards scheme that allows shoppers to earn loyalty points for shopping on the local highstreet. Brentwood’s continued efforts to support local businesses and keep high street trade alive aligns perfectly with the ethos of the Pop-Up Club.
Tillie Peel, founder of The Pop-Up Club says: “Our one day marketplace at Brentwood is a really exciting step for The Pop-Up Club as we share a common goal to support and grow local highstreet businesses. We want to celebrate independents so we couldn’t be more excited to bring shopping, live music, food and fun which the whole family can enjoy!”
“Now more than ever there’s a need to attract shoppers back to the high street and to get us spending money with those independents that can sometimes get lost in the noise of the internet and mainstream retailers. Our events give traders a chance to offer a range of unique crafts, clothing and accessories as well as bringing together the best local talent to give visitors a unique shopping experience.
“Our mission has always been simple: we want to provide artists, makers, designers, and small businesses that have sustainability at their core, affordable pop up spaces, as well as drive footfall to the area. For Brentwood, we want to see shoppers return to the centre for a unique shopping experience, as well as having fun and supporting local traders by browsing beautiful and original items that can’t be found elsewhere.
“We’ve also found through many of our other pop up experiences that for those people who have been stuck at home for many months, the opportunity to get out and experience something as simple as an afternoon shopping will also provide a much-needed boost to those who have previously struggled with lockdown anxiety. That in-person interaction is priceless, both for the shopper but also for the traders themselves.
“We look forward to welcoming all visitors large and small to the Pop-Up Club in Brentwood and hope a day of shopping, music, fun and food will help bring the community together and back shopping on the high street.”
