A new pop-up shop in Lincoln’s city centre is selling furniture that has been upcycled by inmates at Lincoln prison.
St Barnabas Hospice charity opened the pop-up shop in Waterside Shopping Centre on Lincoln’s High Street this week.
Prisoners at Lincoln Prison have been working on painting and renovating furniture that has been donated by the charity.
There have been a number of workshops in which furniture has been painted and repaired so it can be sold in the charity’s new pop-up shop.
Caroline Peach, Retail Manager of St Barnabas Hospice Shops has said, “We’ve been told by the prison staff that the prisoners really enjoy taking the time to learn new skills.”
“They’re learning skills of mending and repairing the wooden furniture. They’re also preparing it and sanding it down and painting it and they get a lot of satisfaction out of doing that in their daily routine but also knowing that the items are going to raise money for a charity as well.”
The new shop sells everything from homeware, wedding dresses, vintage crockery and movie merchandise, as well as its unique furniture that has been renovated at Lincoln Prison.
The shop also contains a social area where people can read, play on games consoles or enjoy a game of pool or table tennis.
St Barnabas’ pop-up shop is scheduled to close at the end of March, but Miss Peach has said, “We plan to carry on the scheme.”
“We want to support local community projects like that and we benefit as well because we get some fantastic pieces of furniture that might not otherwise have sold for either very much or at all.”
The pop-up shop is open in the nearly 8,000 square foot space next to New Look on the ground floor of Waterside Shopping Centre.
Click here to listen to our interview with Caroline Peach, Retail Manager of St Barnabas Hospice.