Pop-up shop where everything is free

Cape Town -

An initiative by two young advertising agency employees has allowed some of the city’s homeless residents to experience the pleasure of shopping for clothes.

Copywriter Kayli Levitan, 25, and art director Maximilian Pazak, 26, started The Street Store, a one-day pop-up clothing shop that gave the homeless and underprivileged three items of free clothing of their choice.

They launched the project on the pavement in Somerset Road, Green Point, in front of the Salesian Institute building yesterday. The store resembled an aisle in a clothing shop, with hangers made out of cardboard placards bearing the project’s name.

Pazak said the constant reminder of the homeless walking past his and Levitan’s place of work at M&C Saatchi Abel had inspired them to make a difference.

“Our office is at the window so we see them every day and wondered how we could use our skills to help them.”

They began planning the initiative four months ago, and when they appealed for donations it started to gain traction on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. They also put all the artwork and information on their website, www.thestreetstore.org, so that people could start up shops in their own areas.

Levitan described it as “the world’s first rent-free, premise-free, free pop-up clothing store for the poor, found entirely on the street and curated by you”. The idea was to provide some respectability to the underprivileged.

“We dignified the process… They can choose what they want and you can see how happy they are.”

One happy customer left with a good pair of shoes after he admitted he had a job interview but didn’t have suitable footwear.

Another customer, Claudine Abrahams, was delighted. “This store is good and amazing and I love it. I got some white trousers, a white T-shirt and some boots and now I can look nice.”

Student Ashleigh Henderson, 23, donated a bag full of clothes. “It is a really good initiative. I actually unpacked my whole cupboard when I heard it on the radio.”

The New Haven Night Shelter in Green Point helped put up the shop and provided volunteers.

Chief executive Hassan Khan said the pop-up store was an example of hope for the homeless. “It demonstrates that there is a caring presence in the community and the homeless can see that there is a concern for their welfare.”

warren.fortune@inl.co.za

Cape Argus