The Street Store – the world’s first rent-free, premise-free, pop-up charity store began in January this year. Started right in the heart of Cape Town by Max Pazak and Kayli Vee Levitan, the idea is to set up temporary spaces where clothes can be given away to the poor through a real shopping experience that is free and dignified.
Image: thestreetstore.org
South Africa’s not the easiest place to live. The stark contrast between rich and poor generates a constant tension that buzzes uncomfortably in all neighbourhoods and among all people. It’s led to the point where some of us have become jaded to the polystyrene cups being shaken at our car window in anticipation of spare change. In fact, many individuals have adopted a fend-for-yourself, dog-eat-dog attitude, offering nothing in the belief that giving money directly into the hands of the homeless only reinforces the cycle of poverty. Others reach out to charity groups and NGOs to make donations through third parties, hoping it goes to people in need. So is there some sort of space for the people who fall into the middle ground – people wanting to help but needing to ensure the aid is structured and smart?
Enter The Street Store. This pop-up is made up of posters on the sidewalk, and runs entirely on donations. Anybody wanting to make contributions can literally hang their clothes through a gap in the provided poster, and drop their shoes onto specially designed flat boxes. It’s an easy-to-set up system that works well. From there, the homeless are invited to browse, get assistance from The Street Store volunteers on outfit choices and hey presto, you have yourself a genuine philanthropic exchange that directly helps your local community.
Image: thestreetstore.org
Of course, poverty and homelessness is not specific to Cape Town – it is a worldwide issue. This is why The Street Store is an open-source initiative, meaning anyone, from any city around the world can host a pop-up charity store. The idea is certainly needed. At the last pop-up space, Pazak and Levitan explained that they had attached their ‘Open’ and ‘Hang Up’ posters out just the day before, only to arrive on the morning of The Street Store day to see that they were all gone. Why? The homeless use cardboard to sleep on.
The next and first publicly hosted Street Store will happen this Friday, 21 February, outside Charly’s Bakery. Click here for more details. And if you’d like to host your own pop-up shop or want to learn more about this initiative, visit their site.
Words Gosia Podgórska
Image: thestreetstore.org
