Norwood cashes in on Selfridges shop
(second right)
BUSINESS HAS been brisk in the opening week of the UK’s first multifaith charity shop, located on the third floor of Selfridges’ Oxford Street store.
Norwood, Islamic Relief, the London Buddhist Centre and Spitalfields Crypt Trust are the beneficiaries of the retail outlet, the brainchild of American artist, writer and filmmaker Miranda July. It is presented by Artangel, whose mission is to bring art to unexpected places.
Ms July said at the launch that she had been inspired by her visits to the UK in her 20s when she was “giddily amazed by the sheer number of charity shops”.
She also liked the idea of clothes “that have been worn by someone else and have a story behind them”.
The store is in an enclosed space, standing out from the adjoining open plan high end fashion outlets. Most of the stock is secondhand, or “pre-loved” in Norwood sales parlance. The blue signage went down particularly well with Natasha Hodes, the charity’s trading co-ordinator, who remarked: “It’s Norwood colours.
“It’s nice working with the other charities’ staff,” she added. “We’re learning about each other’s charities.”
On the trading front, there had been a “few big purchases”, albeit in the context of charity shop prices.
Ms July has designed the store bags in Selfridges yellow, as well as the blue price tags, which name the four charities and give basic details of the project.
David Ereira, the Norwood chairman, paid £10 for a pair of brass children’s shoes. For £2, he could have bought a kippah box. “It’s very exciting for all of us,” he said.
Still a lover of charity shops, Ms July had been eyeing up a Valentino jacket which was among the first day stock. But a canny shopper got in first.