‘Tis the season to spread cheer and help others, and the Choose Love pop-up is the perfect place to start!
Pop-ups come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, and we do love to write about them. But rather than a new foodie joint, or a place to pet cute animals, the Help Refugees ‘Choose Love’ pop-up in Seven Dials offers a way to do some real good in the world. A place that advises you to “shop your heart out and leave with nothing”, this inspiring shop sells items that are invaluable to refugees around the world. It’s open now for the most meaningful holiday shopping experience in town, so why not head down and check it out?
Choose Love sells items including emergency blankets, medical equipment, and lifejackets, as well as everyday objects like dictionaries and nappies. And whilst you don’t need those things to survive the Central line, there are people worldwide in desperate need of them. You won’t be walking out with heavy bags; everything you buy here is kept and will be sent to vulnerable refugees across Europe, throughout the Middle East, and at the US-Mexico border.
Last year, the London store and the online shop raised close to a million pounds – and with your help, they’re looking to beat that this year. Helping out is as simple as picking an item, taking the tag to the till, and then leaving empty-handed. The shop is divided into sections that chart the stages of a refugee’s journey. ‘Arrival’ is the section to pick up emergency blankets and food, ‘Shelter’ sells tents and sleeping bags, whilst ‘Future’ offers educational materials.
You can buy individual items, or plump for a bundle, which could help mothers and babies, or vulnerable women, for instance. The store offers services that go beyond that, too; you can put money towards a lawyer, to provide legal assistance to refugees separated from their families. Each item comes with a description of how it helps vulnerable refugees, helping to make this an educational experience as well as a charitable one – they’ll also hold regular talks, workshops, and events to this effect.
Help Refugees is a humanitarian aid organisation that works on the frontlines of the refugee crisis, offering rapid response to urgent needs. Since first opening the Choose Love shops in 2017, they’ve managed to donate 1.6 million items to refugees worldwide, and with stores in London, New York, and Los Angeles now open, that figure is only set to rise. Plus, if you’re unable to make it down in person, you can do a spot of online shopping and do your bit to help.
Plenty of reasons to head along then, and here’s a final one: the Choose Love shop will employ celebrity staff to work the occasional shift, so there’s always the chance of seeing a big name. The chance to help people in need, and get a warm fuzzy feeling from doing good? It’s an absolute no-brainer!
Location: 47-49 Neal Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9PJ. Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road. See it on Google Maps.
Opening hours: 10-7pm, seven days a week. Choose Love will be open until Christmas Eve.
Entry: free. (See more free things to do in London).
More information: from their website.