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Circularium pop-up shop offers second-hand items for free

16:29 04/05/2021

A new pop-up shop in Anderlecht is giving away its merchandise for free. Customers must pay only with a thank you, says the co-ordinator.

The shop is part of the larger Circularium project in a former warehouse on Chaussée de Mons, near the Delacroix metro stop. The project is transforming 20,000 square-metres of industrial space into a centre of innovation and circular production.

In keeping with this mission, its new shop is offering up second-hand items free of charge. Everything is in good condition and ranges from clothing to books to toys to dishes and beyond. It has the look of a charity shop, but instead of paying €2 for that previously loved handbag, you pay nothing.

Circularium co-ordinator Gerd De Wilde (pictured) calls it “the free shop” where you’re only allowed to pay with a ‘thank you’. “Every person is allowed to take one object a day,” he told Bruzz. “We have a bit of everything – books, DVDs, stuff for kids, clothes, dishes, you name it. In addition to picking something up, you can donate, too.”

Circularium decided to launch the temporary shop for a couple of reasons, he explains. “People really need something to do right now, to get out of the house and wander around,” says De Wilde. “But it’s also a way to address poverty.”

There is a catch to that ‘thank you’, however: Anyone taking an object is asked to fill their name in on a thank you card, which is then given to the person who donated the object. This connects people in the neighbourhood, which is another mission of Circularium. The space also hosts people working in the culture sector and provides a space for residents to meet each other.

The Circularium shop is open Monday to Friday from 11.00 to 17.00 until 25 May.

 

Written by Lisa Bradshaw