Crafts made by Chichester College students on sale at new pop-up shop

Chichester College students have launched a new pop-up shop in the city centre, selling items made by art and design students.
Chichester College studentsChichester College students
Chichester College students

Renew, on Crane Street, will now be selling a range of hand-crafted products by students – from framed prints to ceramic homewares, jewellery to tote bags.

Shoppers will be supporting young artists, with 10 per cent of all profit made being donated to the Chichester Food Bank while the rest will be invested back into future student projects.

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There will also be a donation point in the shop for the food bank, as well as an Eco Swap Shop – offering the opportunity to exchange unwanted, but wearable, clothes for other donated items of clothing.

Helen Loftus, principal of Chichester College, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for our students to showcase their talent and their work to the public, as well as gain valuable experience.

“The students have worked incredibly hard, supported fantastically by our remarkable lecturers, to produce a fabulous range of products that will appeal to anyone.

“They’ve been involved at every stage of the project, including designing the shop’s branding and building the interiors of the shop. It has been a really collaborative project across the whole department, helping to develop the students’ communication and team-work skills.

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“We hope shoppers in the city will support our students in their work, and benefit by buying loved ones some really lovely Christmas gifts.”

Renew will be open Tuesday to Saturday until Sunday, December 18.

It's been supported by funding from Chichester College’s Enterprise Society and Chichester BID, as well as by Chichester District Council – which has leased the space to the college as part of its pop-up shop initiative, which enables local entrepreneurs and small businesses to trade in a high street location without the commitment or cost of a longer-term lease.

Councillor Tony Dignum, cabinet member for growth, place and regeneration at Chichester District Council said: “We’re really pleased to be welcoming the college’s art and design students to our Pop-Up Shop in Crane Street this month.

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“For the students it’s an exciting opportunity to showcase their products to the public, and we hope that they enjoy the experience of being out on the high street, especially in the run up to the festive season.“We’ve been working closely with the college on this project; and it also further strengthens our relationship with them. Their students have also regularly been taking part in our Cross Market & More event which has proven to be an extremely successful platform for them. The pop-up shop scheme is open to businesses across the district and I would urge people to visit our web page www.chichester.gov.uk/popupshop for more information about how to get involved.”

Helen Marshall, chair of Chichester BID, added: “It's really fantastic to see these kinds of pop ups in the city.

"We're so keen to support our local college, our local young people and encourage young entrepreneurs in the city through opportunities like this, and this really will help to give them a sense of what it's like to run a business."They've filled the shop with some beautiful products, all student-made, and I hope they're endeavours are well supported by the community."

To find out more, visit: www.chichester.ac.uk/renew