I like the idea of shops you find in a back street, hidden round a corner, that you can never find after your first visit; that element of magic in the humdrum of retail.
And this week, in Worthing's Guildbourne Centre, we're adding to that with a Pop-Up Gallery. We got the keys to an empty shop on Wednesday; opened Thursday; we'll close the doors on Sunday and vanish. We're showing installation and painting, bubblewrap and core samples, drawing and photography, archaeology and concrete.
It's had a great response, with nearly 100 visitors on the first day. And while some were passing shoppers and teenagers who hang out in the shopping centre, many had the made the journey into Worthing town centre to see the Pop-Up Gallery after a short, sharp marketing blitz on Facebook, Twitter, the Artists and Makers website and local radio.
It's also created a buzz amongst artists and creatives in the town, and become the place to hang out. There was ample takeaway coffee, great conversation and the smell of collaboration in the air.
