Street Store to pop up in park

THE Nelson Mandela Bay homeless will be spoilt for choice when the international phenomenon of pop-up stores for the destitute hits Port Elizabeth this month.

First started in January in Cape Town, The Street Store has gone global and on December 16 the 100th shop will pop up in St George's Park.

The concept was created to give the homeless a choice of donated clothes.

People donate clothes and these are showcased to the homeless who are able to choose the items they want, at no cost.

The 100th pop-up store, to be hosted by a group of young professionals under the banner, For the Love of People, will be the second such event in Port Elizabeth, with the first to be held by Love Story, MES Shelter and Covenant Grace Church this Saturday at the same venue.

The co-founder of The Street Store, Capetonian Kayli Leviton, said the idea of a pop-up shop came about as she and her partner in the project, Maximilian Pazak, worked in an area where the haves and the have-nots crossed paths daily.

"The agency where we work [M&C Saatchi Abel] is in Green Point. It is a very trendy area, but there are also a lot of homeless people. So the haves and the have-nots cross each other's paths, but they never connect.

"And you kind of forget that the homeless are people because you are avoiding them so much.

"So ... we wanted to break through the stereotypes to bring in donations now and in the future."

Leviton said they were looking for a solution, not a quick fix.

"We then decided that there is no better place to bring these two groups of people together than on the streets they share. And it has gone global.

"These are people who can't choose where to sleep, what to wear, and for a lot of them it was the first time in their lives they were given the freedom of choice, to pick something not just because they needed it, but because they also wanted it."

She said the stores gave the homeless dignity and pride.

"Because homelessness is [a global problem], we made all our files and guides available on our website, and in doing so, created a platform where people can create their own initiative in their own community."

The organiser of this weekend's pop-up store, Rolecia Janse van Rensburg, said she had been captivated by the concept.

"My experience with regard to the response from the people of Port Elizabeth has been overwhelming. People really have a heart to serve our city and this Street Store gives them a channel to do so."

Both events start at 9am and donations are accepted before or at the event. - Thulani Gqirana