Get rid of those hang-ups

Have you got too many hang-ups?

Here’s a chance to clear out some of yours and help Capetonians without a single one. The second pop-up clothing store for the poor is on today, January 30 2014, on the outside wall of the Cape Castle, corner Sir Lowry Road & Darling Street, from 6:30am – 7:00pm. Take along something that you won’t miss, something that has been hanging around in your cupboard for the longest time, hang it up on one of the hangers provided. People in need will be browsing the store during the day and will choose an item or two that they like.

This follows on from the super successful …

January 16: Pop-up charity, CT-style

While I was struggling with my (post-Christmas) middle-class problems (my shoes won’t all fit in my shoe cupboard; the toaster I received doesn’t have a bagel setting) Kayli Vee Levitan and Maximilian Pazak dreamed up and set up the coolest and kindest Pop-Up in Cape Town.

    After getting permission from ward councillor Beverley Schäfer, they borrowed the railings outside the Salesian Institute for a day and set up a shop for the homeless.

People with items to donate hung them on coat hangers provided, and those in need were helped by ‘sales assistants’ to choose a few items that they wanted. How fabulous to introduce a different kind of choice and dignity to receiving charity.

It is obvious that Call Off The Search would have come up with this idea had we just been given a little more time. Alas, though, it is too late. The idea will remain forever theirs, they will become famous all over the world … and we say well done to them, you deserve whatever fame and fortune comes your way. As well as their supporting acts, including M&C Saatchi Abel, their employers, who gave their full support, and Clifton Publication, who donated the printing.

These two bright young things, Kayli and Max, have made Cape Town proud after executing their brainwave with speed normally associated with people in New York, Lagos or Johannesburg.

We are not that familiar with stories about speed and efficiency in Cape Town, but there is always a story about a view in the Mother City. Kayli and Max, a creative team at MC Saatchi Abel, have a view of the street in question from a balcony at their office. As they sit there brainstorming ways to make rich people buy more stuff, they often see people who have no stuff at all hanging about on the street.

They wondered about the huge gulf between the haves and the have-nots right on their doorstep and decided to do something about it … right on their doorstep.

They hatched a plan and mentioned it to their employers, M&C Saatchi Abel, who immediately offered their full support.  And fizz, bang, Pop-Up Shop!

Weary as the 100-year-old man after a flurry of  dreaming, scheming, plotting, planning, executing, tweeting and interviewing, Max says it has been a steep learning curve. He says that this being the first one, they had to figure out quite a lot for themselves, but they are determined to share what they have learned so that it is easier for others to do.

They have started a website www.thestreetstore.org, where they will share lessons, tips and insights, as well as make available downloadable versions of materials eg the coat-hangers, which are made of cardboard.

Key to permission being granted and support from the local council was an agreement that this would be a once-off in this location. So the baton is now passed to others elsewhere to start a Pop-Up Store for the homeless. Any takers?