A new pop-up department store with an artistic twist will open in Aberdeen this festive season.
Kirsty Cameron, owner of Aberdeen’s Second Home Studio + Cafe, today announced her plans to open “no ordinary department store” called Departmnt, stocked with works by local artists and creatives.
Witnessing the closure of two Aberdeen department stores – John Lewis and Debenhams – and the “lack of retail space” available right now were the main factors that motivated the talented entrepreneur to start hatching her plans, which will see artists keep 100% of their profits.
“I also wanted to get people back to the city centre and, of course, support our local creative community,” added Kirsty.
“And I wanted to make it easier for people to shop locally as well.”
Secret location – for now
Applications are now open for creatives interested in exhibiting at Departmnt which will run from November 12 until December 23.
But Kirsty remained tight-lipped about the pop-up’s location, only revealing that it’ll be “somewhere in the city centre”.
“I haven’t actually been able to get into the unit yet which is why it’s a secret at the moment,” said Kirsty before adding that she’s hoping to announce Departmnt’s location in the coming weeks.
Kirsty would like to encourage many different creatives from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to apply to exhibit at the brand new store.
She said: “We’re looking for visual artists across a range of areas – illustrators, painters, sculptors, jewellery and textiles makers, and anything homeware-related. Basically, anything you’d find in a retail environment.
“Anyone from Scotland can apply, but artists from the north-east will be given top priority.”
Artists to keep 100% of profits
While most fairs and exhibition spaces charge a commission from sales, those who will exhibit at Departmnt will be able to keep 100% of their profits.
Kirsty said: “The usual commission can be anywhere between 13-15% so it can take quite a chunk of your profits.”
The deadline for application is October 5. More information on how to apply can be found here.
The initial feedback has been amazing, with Kirsty receiving a lot of encouraging comments, which was “great to see”.
“There has been a lot of excitement around Departmnt.
“It’s been a long time in the making for me so it’s nice to see it come into fruition – it’s very exciting.
Success might see Departmnt return
“I started working on it last year. We lost our retail space when we moved units and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. So why not take it to a whole new level and open a department store?”
Departmnt may even return in the future – but it’s too early to tell.
“It’ll be a one-off event for the moment, we’ll see how successful it is and then decide whether we’ll do it again next year,” said Kirsty.
The pop-up store, which is partially funded by Aberdeen City Council, is also supported by the team at Look Again.
Click here for more information about Departmnt.
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