LONDON -- A new pop-up shop that lets people buy clothing for the city's homeless is opening in London on Wednesday night.
The store, somewhat crassly named Crack + Cider, will be open for a month. Items on sale are all high in utility -- umbrellas, hats, scarves and gloves, fleece jumpers, backpacks and waterproof jackets -- and, after they are purchased, get distributed by the store among London's homeless over the next week weeks as it gets colder.
Products will also be available online until Dec. 12. They cost between £5 ($8) and £25 ($39) each, with a whole set of items retailing for £60 ($93).
The "concept store" is the brainchild of Charlotte Cramer, an entrepreneur and strategist for a digital agency, and Scarlett Montanaro, who has worked in advertising agencies. They used some savings to fund the shop; business costs will be covered by a small mark-up.
The pair say they came up with the name after speaking with a homeless person who told them that "people don't give me money because they just think I'll spend it on crack and cider."
Many found the name patronising.
Why oh WHY would you call a shop for the homeless 'Crack & Cider'? Why?— Annette Russell (@russellsbandb) November 4, 2015
Others thought the logo might need a bit of work.
.@crackandcider is a genuinely great idea but I'm v cynical today and suspect the logo might need to be amended pic.twitter.com/kPXbXgVT6A— Chris Sutcliffe (@chrismsutcliffe) November 4, 2015
“Living in London, you walk past so many homeless people every day and it’s always the same people in your neighbourhood," Cramer said.
"Every day you feel bad. I have never given money to people on the street, you get told it may get spent on alcohol and things not benefiting their lives. This way, people can buy something that will last and can reach out in a different way.”
According to Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, 7,581 people were sleeping rough in London in 2014-15 -- more than double the number in 2009-10.
The shop will be open at One Good Deed Today, 73 Kingsland Road, in East London.