Let’s get ready for Christmas

06/12/21

The Christmas lights have been switched on. The temperature is definitely starting to drop. Now it’s time to start thinking about starting, or finishing, your Christmas shopping. Luckily, you’ll find everything you need at our new pop-up shop on St Catherine’s Walk. 

Now open, Pop-Up Caerfyrddin will be showcasing 21 local businesses over a five-week period. You’ll find a wide range of gift options and you can even book a visit to Santa’s Grotto. Based in the Shared Spaces building, the pop-up shop will give start-ups and established businesses the chance to test their products and offers a real commission-based retail experience.  

Run in partnership with Focus Carmarthen Enterprise Hub and Shared Spaces, this is the first test trading site for us in Carmarthen. Our aim is to complement other Christmas activities you’ll find around Carmarthen town centre, as well as celebrate small Welsh businesses. 

Lisa Jones from Pop-Up Caerfyrddin said: “It’s been great to work with Focus Carmarthen Enterprise Hub at Shared Spaces Carmarthen. It has allowed us, as new business, to provide a real retail experience for others. It’s been a difficult 18 months for us all and I think we have to take risks and opportunities. This is certainly an opportunity for us to have a town centre experience.  

“We have worked with the Hub previously, when we opened our café, Diod, in Llandeilo so it’s great to explore retail opportunities as well as being in the hospitality sector. The businesses that we are working with are really supportive and are looking forward to being part of the experience.”  

Angharad Harding, Hub Manager at Focus Carmarthen Enterprise Hub, added: “As a Hub we are delighted to give Lisa and Aled Jones an opportunity to open Pop-Up Caerfyrddin, which offers 21 businesses a retail experience in a town centre location. Focus Carmarthen Enterprise Hub provides business support to new and existing businesses, and this is one of many examples that we have supported over the last two years.” 

Mayor of Carmarthen, Cllr Gareth John, paid a visit to the shop before its opening and said: “It was a pleasure to meet up with Angharad and Lisa at the Shared Spaces building at St Catherine’s Walk, and to be made aware of the support and opportunities being made available to individuals to set up and trial their products and services in a real-life retail environment. Giving 21 local business this opportunity in a prime location during the all-important lead up to Christmas, is a fantastic initiative that will most certainly benefit the town and its visitors.” 

Find out more about Shared Spaces