A new pop-up has appeared in Manchester ready to solve all your Christmas shopping woes.
The Forever Manchester Gift shop has opened its doors at the Corn Exchange and it’s stuffed full of proper Manc gifts made by some proper Manc artists.
For the second year running, the shop has taken shape in a beautiful glass extension off the historic building, hoping to raise £25,000 for local community activities across the region.
Located right next to the Manchester Christmas Markets, the gift shop sells everything from music-inspired tea towels to Manchester-inspired Christmas cards to socks, coffee, mugs and more.
The main wall is covered with huge framed artwork, including colourful prints, photography and maps.
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Throughout, there are gifts featuring This is the Place, the Tony Walsh poem that’s become synonymous with Manchester, on coasters, postcards and limited-edition prints by Trevor Johnson.
The Christmas gift shop. Credit: The Manc Group
The Forever Manchester Christmas gift shop opened its doors for the first time last weekend and will remain open until 18 December.
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All profits go to Forever Manchester, the only charity that supports and funds community activity across the whole of Greater Manchester.
There are also festive Captain Manchester tombola tickets on sale at just £5 online or in store, which gives entrance the chance to win £2000 in time for Christmas.
Inside the Forever Manchester Christmas gift shop. Credit: The Manc Group
It’s the second year that Forever Manchester has located its Christmas Gift shop at the Corn Exchange, who have kindly donated the space to the charity for the five weeks’ duration.
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Dan Davis, general manager at the Corn Exchange said: “We are really pleased we could offer the space again to Forever Manchester this year. It is a charity that we have supported for a number of years.
“There are some fantastic gift ideas for Christmas and the store really adds to the Corn Exchange’s festive atmosphere.”
Liz Page from Forever Manchester said: “We are excited to open our doors again at the Corn Exchange this year in the lead up to Christmas. We would like to thank the team for their ongoing support. It truly is a fantastic historic location in the heart of the city.
“Last year was great and this year we envisage even more customers as restrictions are no more and we can meet up with family and friends. We are looking to raise £25k to go towards community activities across our city.
“There is literally something for everyone who loves Manchester in our store. If you can’t decide on what to go for, why not buy your friends or family members a Captain Manchester’s festive Magical Tombola ticket at just £5 – if they win £2000 – you will be popular this Christmas!”
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Forever Manchester’s Christmas pop-up shop at the Corn Exchange is open Monday to Saturday, 10 to 6pm, and 11am to 4pm on Sundays.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Shopping
Popular night-time indie shopping market returns to Manchester tomorrow
Emily Sergeant
A unique indie shopping market is returning to Manchester, and you’ll be able to shop from 50 local small businesses all under one roof.
In case you hadn’t heard, the hugely-popular Night Market UK is back by popular demand, and it will be stopping off in our city centre for one night only tomorrow as part of the current leg of its tour across the country.
Returning to Manchester, but this time at a new location down at Fairfield Social Club in the Green Quarter, the unique night-time shopping experience will be showcasing more than 50 local small businesses – with everything from bespoke fashion items and beautifully-crafted homeware, to candles, artwork, silverware, and more on offer.
Brutal Fashion, Lost in Music, Urban Botany, and Dapper Alice are just a handful of the indie traders you’ll be able to shop from.
With event organisers promising there’ll be “a stall for everyone” to browse on the night, some of the other traders in attendance, include artisan producers, artists and bakers, as well as Fairfield Social Club’s resident street food purveyors Isit Kitchen, and pizza pros Killa Carbs.
DJ Clara B will also be taking over the club’s sound system too, and will be blasting tunes to set the scene all night long.
From bespoke fashion items and silverware courtesy of Brutal Fashion, to dazzling musical art prints from Lost in Music, and sculptural candles from Urban Botany to beautifully crafted homeware by Dapper Alice, there will be a stall for everyone on the night.
A popular night-time indie shopping market is returning to Manchester tomorrow / Credit: The Night Market UK | Kunal Mahesh Tewari (via The Night Market UK on Facebook)
The Night Market UK will open at Fairfield Social Club from 6pm tomorrow (Friday 26 July), and will run right through until 11pm.
Tickets are now on sale from just £4 each, and can be purchased in hourly entry timeslots – which organisers say “keeps the atmosphere just right” and ensures there’s enough space for everyone to be able to stay as little or as long as they’d like.
You can buy on the door or grab your tickets in advance here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Shopping
Stockport’s popular pre-worn school uniform shop is reopening for the summer
Emily Sergeant
A popular pre-worn school uniform shop is reopening in Stockport for the summer, and you can grab items for less than £1.
As the rising cost of living crisis sadly still continues to make its impact felt nationwide, Stockport‘s popular pre-worn uniform shop will throw open its doors following huge success last year and an “overwhelming demand from cash-strapped families“.
It’s popping up inside the town’s Merseyway Shopping Centre for the summer holidays to provide locals with massive savings on next year’s school clothes.
Shoppers can get their hands on pre-worn uniform pieces from as little as 50p each.
Stockport’s popular pre-worn school uniform shop is reopening for the summer / Credit: Matthew Nichol Photography (via supplied)
The shopping centre says The Pop-Up Uniform Shop is all about providing Stopfordians with “good quality, secondhand school uniform” – with items from schools all across the Stockport borough set to be available when it opens next month.
The pop-up shop will be selling uniform items from all schools across the Stockport borough when it opens next month.
Expected to be a widely-popular addition the Greater Manchester town once again once it returns from 10-17 August, all funds raised from the shop will be going back into the community – with donations set to be made to local food bank, Chelwood Food Bank Plus, as well as one of the UK’s leading arts and mental health organisations, Arc Centre Stockport.
Families will be able to grab items from as little as 50p / Credit: Merseyway (via Facebook)
Ahead of the shop’s opening next month, donations are currently being accepted
Uniform donations can be branded or unbranded but must be “clean and wearable”, and some of the items being accepted include sweatshirts, cardigans, blazers, skirts, pinafores, trousers, shorts, polo shirts, shirts, shoes, plimsolls, PE kits, and school bags.
Donations will be accepted until Monday 5 August, and can be dropped off at the dedicated collection bin in the undercover mall outside Specsavers.
“Many families in our community face financial challenges, making it difficult to provide their children with necessary school uniform items,” explained Victoria Nichol, who is the Centre Manager at Merseyway Shopping Centre, ahead of the shop’s opening.
“The Pop-Up Uniform Shop aims to alleviate this burden by offering affordable uniform options for those in need while offering a sustainable alternative to buying new.”