1 week Ago
A newly renovated charity shop with a piece of Brighton history has been re-opened by a celebrity guest. Martlets, a Sussex-based hospice, has relaunched its London Road charity shop in Brighton. The new look was unveiled on Thursday, April 24 by their charity ambassador, global DJ Fatboy Slim, who surprised shoppers when he officially opened the doors.
Guests cheered as Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) cut the ribbon, enjoyed some cake, explored the shop and even found some bargains. He said he was "very honoured" to be the store's first customer, after purchasing a floral shirt. A large wooden service desk has been donated by the family that once owned Dockerills hardware store (Image: Simon J Evans) Martlets is a charity that is "close to his heart", and he has been a supporter for many years.
Of the store's makeover, he said: “It’s so airy, clean and stylish – it’s beautiful. I’m looking forward to spending many an hour browsing. "This shop is very much part of the London Road community and that’s reflected here, especially in some of the fashion.
"But of course, the shop is helping to support Martlets and raise money for the hospice.” Norman was "thrilled" to see that a large wooden service desk had been donated by the family that once owned Dockerills hardware store. Fatboy Slim purchased a floral shirt from the store (Image: The Argus) He said: “It’s worth coming here just to check out the old Dockerills counter, that in itself is a beautiful piece of art.
” Ryan Gayler, who ran Dockerills with his wife Karen, was in attendance to see the shop's former counter in its new home. The event was also attended by the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Mohammed Asaduzzaman, Martlets colleagues, volunteers and other ambassadors who support the charity. Inside and out, the new look for the London Road store brings a contemporary twist to the traditional charity shop.
The branding is monochrome with wooden shop fittings. The new store has a bright, airy feel (Image: The Argus) The ethos of this shop is "repurpose, reuse and reinvent" placing sustainability at its heart. In the past five years alone, the shop has already saved almost 232,500 items from landfill.
London Road is known as the charity shopping district for Brighton, and a hot spot for students too. The shop refurbishment was funded by a grant that the government allocated to hospices nationally. Rachel Paisley, director of public fundraising and retail for the hospice, said: “The whole ethos of this shop is centred around sustainability.
Brighton is the ideal place for us to trial a brand-new look and feel which provides a high-end, yet ethical shopping experience.".
