Why not pop in to the pop-up shop?

The parish has opened its very own ‘pop-up’ shop at the ancient church, located on Londonderry’s walls. It is all part of the preparation for the forthcoming ‘Footprints of St Columba’ Flower Festival, which will run from June 10 to 12.

Pop-up shops are a relatively new phenomenon in retailing. In essence a pop-up shop is a small retail space that appears in an unexpected place to sell something that will, hopefully, catch the imagination of visitors.

The church and site of St Augustine’s, on Londonderry’s city walls, have centuries of history behind them. Recent scholarship even strongly suggests that the church lies on the site of St Columba’s monastery.

The pop-up shop is located in the church porch. It will sell products that show St Augustine’s history in an imaginative and contemporary way. Many of the products on sale will bear a brand new church ‘logo’ that draws its inspiration from the architecture of the centuries old church building, but with a contemporary twist by combining the ‘S’ and ‘A’ in the church name.

Tastefully applied to all the new St Augustine’s merchandise, visitors and church members can now choose to sing the praises of the churdh in the form of mouse-mats made from recycled tyres, t-shirts, mugs and backpacks. Not only are all the items ideal keepsakes for any visitor, but they are all highly practical.

Rector of St Augustine’s, Rev Pat Storey, said: “We are very excited to welcome visitors to our Steps of St Columba Flower Festival. We really appreciate the history of our beautiful church and are delighted to share it. The volunteer hours and effort that has been put into both the Festival and pop-up shop will ensure that visitors will have a great experience”.

During the Festival of Flowers a warm welcome will be offered by the parish to all their neighbours in every part of the city and further afield.

It is advisable for groups that wish to visit to book in advance. Bookings can be made by telephoning 028 7130 1611.