A Kingston University pop-up shop project has received £15,000 from the Mayor of London’s High Street Fund.
The project, dedicated to encouraging people to find practical solutions for everyday problems, was one of the 20 ideas selected to receive a cash injection from the fund, which helps local businesses in London develop and improve the city’s high streets.
“Whether it’s repairing a broken bicycle, or re-designing a piece of cutlery so it can be handled by someone with a disability, we will work with them to fix the problem,” said the project leader Professor Alex Williams, associate dean of enterprise at the University’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.
FixShop, which is due to open in November at Kingston’s Marketplace, has already raised £15,422 through a crowd-funding platform, and is close to its aim of £26,011, with 25 days left before it launches.
The shop will count on the help of students and staff from the Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture along with Kingston residents to form a panel of designers ready to help people solve their problems.
“Fixshop will be the ideal vehicle for us to demonstrate the positive impact that design can have in our daily lives,” Professor Williams said. “It will also give us the perfect platform to work more closely with Kingston residents and people living in neighbouring communities.”
The project presents itself to backers as “part of a wider return to fixing/hacking products, rather than replacing them” and came from Professor Charny’s desire to encourage people to come up with sustainable solutions for everyday life problems.
So far, it has been backed by the Mayor of London, Bluegrasscoms Ltd, Maple Works and a few other individual pledges.