FLYING vacuum cleaners adorn a Stockport shopfront in a new twist on the term ‘window dressing’.
The idea is to use artistic displays to breathe new life into the town’s disused shops and generally liven up the area.
The displays are part of a £120,000 council initiative to improve the look of the high street and cut the number of empty shops.
Working in partnership with Merseyway shopping centre, vacant units have been ‘dressed’ with objects from Stockport Art Gallery under the direction of Jonathan Baker, senior lecturer in Visual Merchandising and Retail Design at the London College of Fashion.
Artefacts from the gallery’s collections have been combined with work by eco-designer Michelle Brand, textile designers Jane Withers, Nawal Gabreel and Clare Webster, and artist Karl Christian Geleff.
The shop unit displays will be on view over the next few months at the shopping centre.
Centre manager Brendan Webb said: “We have been working closely with the council to put this fantastic exhibition together. The number of vacant units is declining, and this scheme is a great way to make the units more appealing to both shoppers and potential retailers.”
Councillor John Smith added: “This really is an inspiring way to animate empty shop units and bring the town centre to life by combining historic artefacts, cutting edge design and the very latest in visual merchandising techniques. It is a winning formula aiming to get these units re-let by showing them in their best light.”
Keep in touch