Edinburgh couple open Christmas pop-up shop ‘on a whim’ after spotting empty store
An Edinburgh couple have opened a new Christmas shop in the city centre after deciding to rent the space ‘on a whim’ a few weeks ago.
Marcus Campbell and Martin Johnstone opened The Christmas Curiosity Shop on Hanover Street last weekend, an incredible feat considering they only received the keys five days prior.
The new pop-up store, which is open every day until January 1 (except Christmas Day), offers a curated selection of Chirstmas gifts from £20, limited edition art prints, antiques, handcrafted candles and dark festive scents.
And after getting the keys on November 23, Marcus and Martin have worked ‘like two mad men to transform it into a magical grotto’ in a five-day period.
Marcus said: “We managed to get everything open on time which is a miracle but it was quite a graft to get it open. It all started a few weeks ago I was walking down Hanover Street on my way home and I saw it was available to rent, and after speaking to the landlord we managed to work out a deal for the Christmas period.
“It feels good to breathe new life into the space because it was just sitting empty before and now it has this magical vibe for Christmas so it’s nice we can bring that to Hanover Street. It was all on a bit of a whim but I’m glad we did it.”
“We’ve been looking for the perfect retail space in the Old Town for a while but they are really hard to come by so hopefully this will springboard us into getting a permanent shop in the Old Town.”
The new store is the first time the couple have opened a physical pop-up shop for their online business, Old Town Magick - a dark décor business inspired by ‘the gothic charm of Edinburgh and the ancient traditions of spirituality and mysticism.’ The independent business, which launched as an online shop a year ago, specialises in gothic home decor, dark art prints and antiques to ‘to transform your home into a space of beauty, ritual and meaning.’
Recalling their opening day last weekend, Marcus said: “We had a good opening day with a steady trickle of people and then good footfall from passing trade. I love being able to interact with customers because obviously you can’t do that online, and if things keep going well we can possibly extend our licence until later in the new year.
“We’ve also made an amazing window display that centres around a glittering angel installation that casts golden light onto the street, so seeing it all brought to life has been great.”
The Christmas Curiosity Shop at 102 Hanover Street is open daily from 12pm till late until January 1 (except Christmas Day).
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