THE
EMPTY SHOPS
WORKBOOK
‘Meanwhile Manual nuMBeR 1’
The Empty Shops Workbook is part of the Meanwhile Manual series,
a collection of guides for using temporary spaces.
Visit www.meanwhile.org.uk for details.
Produced by:
the Empty Shops Network and The Meanwhile Project
Based on research supported by the Revolutionary Arts Group,
the Artists Information Company and Worthing Regeneration
1
THE
EMPTY SHOPS
WORKBOOK
Contents
Introduction:
The A B C of empty shops:
Planning the project:
Writing the plan
Planning a budget
Understanding business rates
Getting in
Planning the space:
Curating & merchandising
Signs & legibility
Marketing:
Marketing on a budget
Making print & distributing flyers
Writing press releases
Using social networking
Opening and packing up:
When you’re open
Packing up
Evaluation & documentation
The continuum:
Building on the project
Support:
Organisations that can support projects
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4
5
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
18
19
20
21
Produced by the Empty Shops Network and the Meanwhile Project
2
Does The High Street Have A Future?://
It’s cheaper online, it’s easier out of town, it’s two-for-one at the supermarket. The
parking in town’s expensive, the big stores have left anyway, and the streets are
looking tatty and as Blur sang, inspiring an in-depth study by the New Economics
Foundation, “All the high streets look the same.”
But the traditional high street, the pattern of streets in our town centre, the
character, feel and local distinctiveness, and the way we shop have all taken a long
time to develop. The British shopping experience is unique, our relationship with
shops special. We are, after all, a nation of shopkeepers, except for those of us that
are shoppers.
And right now, that rich history is under threat. The overheads for shops, buying
stock and paying bills, are rising - while customers, hit by growing debt, bigger bills
and lower income, are spending less.
But the high street does have