What is Empty Shop?
Empty Shop CIC is a non profit arts organisation in the North East of England. Based in Durham City we are dedicated to giving people in the region a much needed platform to produce, exhibit and view art – this comes in the form of the temporary use of vacant buildings turning them into usable art space for that short space of time. Empty Shop has a strong focus on regeneration and is committed to taking on medium to long term unoccupied buildings and using them in a positive way, benefiting all involved.
Empty Shop was started in 2008 by Nick, 25 and Carlo, 28. It is completely unfunded and fully independent.
Where is Empty Shop?
Due to the temporary nature of the Empty Shop’s we occupy they can be in any number of places at any one time. We do have a permanent HQ and base of operations in Durham City Centre however.
Empty Shop Community Interest Company
35c Framwellgate Bridge
Durham City
DH1 4SJ
View Empty Shop HQ’s location on Google Maps
How does it work?
Empty Shop is a super inclusive arts organisation meaning our venues are available for anyone to hire for creative projects. Empty Shop exists to provide people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of experience with an opportunity to make, exhibit or view art. We have hosted work by artists based locally, nationally and internationally, aged between 3 and 66 and with specialisms in almost every medium.
At Empty Shop we pride ourselves on being accessible at every level. This means there are not only opportunities to make and present art creatively but also to gain experience with an indedpent arts organisation by contributing in various hands on ways to our projects. Visit the ‘Get Involved’ section for more info – click here
If you would like to use one of our Empty Shops please view the ‘Current Venues’ section – click here
If you are the owner of an unused building and would like to hear about the benefits of the Empty Shop Model contact thefolks@emptyshop.org
Does it cost anything?
Empty Shop will only ever charge a fee appropriate to the costs we incur in operating a venue.
Each Empty Shop we take on has different overheads associated with it; a small space that we’re using for one week will be different to an entire building for which we occupy for a period of months. With this in mind the charge for hiring one of our spaces can vary, in the past fees have varied from as little as £7 a day and the large workspace at Empty Shop HQ is currently available at £25 for half a day £50 for a full day. Use of these spaces is allocated strictly on a first come, first served policy.
Drop us an email if you have a particular project, or particular space, in mind.
