SHARE Shop- A library of things
by Startacus Admin
Retail innovation seems to be all the rage at the moment. Enterprising folks are continually coming up with new and ingenious ways of improving our shopping experience, and creating technologies which make it easier than ever to find and pay for the things you like.
But the fundamentals of retail have remained unsurprisingly static - with the ‘money in exchange for goods’ not seeing much (if any) challenges over the past few years.
However we were recently delighted to learn of the opening of the UK’s first ever share shop, which injects retail with the mantra of the sharing economy, and replaces the standard cash - product relationship.
The aptly named SHARE opened for business in Spring 2015 in the town of Frome, Somerset and is (as far as we know) the first and only shop in the UK where sharing and borrowing, rather than buying and owning is the main activity. It is the UK's first 'library of things'.
Generous people donate high quality and desirable items to the shop which then loans them out for a small fee (between £1 and £4). Once the loan period is over, the item is returned to the shop and the process can start all over again.
But this shop seems to be about much more than just providing an inexpensive way for people to enjoy certain high quality items; equally important to its operation is promoting the idea of sharing, and fostering a sense of respect for the items on loan. To this end each item within the shop comes along with a personalised story of the owner who donated it, developing a sense of shared history and creating a more substantial connection with the items on display.
Edventure: Frome
T
he innovative and socially responsible shop came about when 8 unemployed young people were set a challenge by a local community enterprise called Edventure: Frome.
Edventure are folks after our own heart! They are a school for community enterprise that tries to foster a culture of enterprise that has positive and sustainable impacts on the community of their area. They take an innovative and community-centric approach to the work they do and see it as their goal to inspire, train and support diverse, unemployed young adults to create sustainable livelihoods locally, and to help build a more resilient, sustainable and fair community.
The hope is, that over time SHARE will continue to grow until eventually it becomes an independent and self sustaining permanent feature on the high street!
Well done to the guys at SHARE, hopefully we will see more of this kind of enterprise springing in more locations soon.
You might like to take a look at some of these recent posts as well!
Plastic Bank- Turning one man's trash into another man's treasure
Glove Love- Giving lost gloves a second chance
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
The lowdown on OneThird, the foodtech startup that's tackling food waste via its innovative solution for predicting the shelf life of fresh produce.
Karen Meager, co-founder of Monkey Puzzle Training shares some insights on how leadership has changed in the last decade, and what it takes to be a great leader today.
Freight rate management platform Freightify raises Series A investment to support further international growth and mission to help more freight forwarding companies digitize their operations.
Crowdfunding success for Omni, the vegan dog food brand, reaffirms the recession-proof growth of the pet nutrition industry.
Want to learn a new language? Weeve is an innovative startup that has created an innovative, creative and effective way to help you do just that.
Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.
Want to increase visual engagement for your startup's Instagram account? These tips will help you do just that.
Fashion innovation thanks to Italian Artisan and its B2B one-stop marketplace that connects international brands with hard-to-get authentic artisans.
Want to gain an edge over your business competitors? Listening to your audience is an absolute must.
The Clothes Doctor mission to fight fast fashion continues as the innovative eco clothing care brand raises £1m to support further growth.
Published on: 26th June 2015
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Freightify secures $12M funding round to power digital transformation for freight forwarders 2nd Feb 2023 Freight rate management platform Freightify raises Series A investment to support further international growth and mission to help more freight forwarding companies digitize their operations.
- Vegan Dog Food Brand, Omni Smashes £400K Crowdfunding Target 1st Feb 2023 Crowdfunding success for Omni, the vegan dog food brand, reaffirms the recession-proof growth of the pet nutrition industry.
- Raise Spring Accelerator programme seeking applications for next cohort 30th Jan 2023 Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.
- Leading French Travel Co. Offers Mentoring to two UK startups on its prestigious two-month programme 23rd Jan 2023 High-potential social impact startups from the UK sought for the 9th annual Les Tremplins by Voyage Privé programme.
