Artist-Run Pop-Up Shop, Manchester, 2014
Grotto
In December 2014, Fraser Chapman and I set up Grotto, a temporary artist-run pop-up shop in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The space was provided free of charge, and became a fully DIY retail environment in the run-up to Christmas, bringing together work from a group of local artists, designers and makers.
The Shop
Fraser Chapman and I were the driving force behind it. The space was a spare shopfront. We talked to the owners and they let us have it for free for a couple of months before it was let out.
Work came from a group of artists, designers and makers, including Sally Gilford, Tasha Whittle and Wunderhaus, with the space collectively curated, managed and staffed. I was involved in the installation, the day-to-day running of the shop and selling artworks directly to the public.
The Build
The interior was built from pallet wood, with shelving and display units assembled by hand ahead of opening. A yellow Grotto flag marked the shopfront, seen here behind its roller shutter.
The Brand
Fraser designed the shop’s identity: a stag holding a shopping basket on its antlers, set against a bright yellow background, with the tagline “Cashing in on Christmas!” It set a knowing, self-aware tone for a shop that operated outside the usual retail calendar.
I printed the Grotto merch, jumpers, t-shirts and tote bags carrying the stag, and had a few of my own screen printed pieces on the walls alongside everyone else’s work.
Late Nights
There was an opening night, then a few late night openings through December to catch the Christmas shoppers.
Outside the Frame
Grotto operated outside the usual gallery or commercial structures, working as both an exhibition space and a point of exchange. Selling work directly to the public sat alongside displaying it, testing different ways of presenting, valuing and circulating what had been made. It went well. Plenty of artwork was sold.
What Came Next
Grotto became the footprint for the pop-up shops that followed, including the SWAG Christmas Shop and the Salford Makers Shop.
Commission a Similar Project
If you are planning a pop-up shop, exhibition or short-term retail space that brings several artists’ work together, get in touch.
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What was Grotto?
A temporary artist-run pop-up shop in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in December 2014, offering a fully DIY retail space for local artists, designers and makers in the run-up to Christmas.
Where was Grotto based?
In a spare shopfront in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, lent free of charge for a couple of months before it was let.
Who was involved in Grotto?
It was set up by Mark Jermyn and Fraser Chapman, with work from artists and makers including Sally Gilford, Tasha Whittle and Wunderhaus.
What was Mark’s role in Grotto?
Co-organising the shop with Fraser Chapman, printing the Grotto merch, showing his own screen prints, and working on the installation, the day-to-day running and selling directly to the public.
Who designed the Grotto logo?
Fraser Chapman designed the stag with the shopping basket on its antlers.
How was the shop organised?
Grotto was collectively curated, managed and staffed by the artists, designers and makers involved, rather than run through a conventional retail or gallery structure.
Can Moderate Studio help organise something similar?
Get in touch to talk about a pop-up shop, exhibition or short-term retail project bringing multiple artists together.
Selected Work