Four pop-up stores open in Hamburg's Alter Wall

21 December 2021

Creative interim use of empty spaces to boost sales in art, fashion and design

Four pop-up shops called Affenfaust Galerie, Alina Klemm fashion design, light art by Nights Glow Dark and the La Tribune Noire, featuring fashion and products by Black-owned labels have opened in Hamburg's Alter Wall. The spaces are being used as part of the senate's "Frei_Fläche" funding scheme, which has enabled the temporary use of vacant spaces at favourable conditions since July 2021.

Positive interim balance of scheme

Around EUR 9 million are being invested in the creative interim use of vacant retail spaces through late 2022. The grants reduce the costs for operators of pop-up stores to a mere EUR 1.50 per square metre per month and raises the visibility of artists and their works while increasing the attractiveness of the district. Around 4,300 square metres of free space have already been rented to 25 projects. More than 100 creative people have applied for funding, according to Egbert Rühl, Managing Director of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, which is managing the scheme in co-operation with the Landesbetrieb Immobilienmanagement und Grundvermögen (LIG).

Inner city to be used more for cultural purposes

During a visit to the stores with Andreas Dressel, Senator for Finance, Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media, said: "It's time to rethink city centres and focus on more creative and cultural uses that ideally establish themselves in the urban space not just temporarily but permanently." The new use of spaces on Alter Wall will show in one place how diversified Hamburg's creative industries can be. "The possibility of presenting themselves in such central locations opens up new opportunities for many stakeholders in art, fashion and design," he added.

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