On July 24, we opened our new pop-up store & Deli. Our pop-up concept is a temporary interim use of the former pharmacy at Liebfrauenberg. Responsible for the transformation of the pharmacy and implementation of the pop-up are Samuel Weiffenbach and his team, who some in Frankfurt already know from his pre-Covid-19 time as an organizer and location operator. You can learn more about the project in the following interview with pop-up managing director Samuel Weiffenbach.
How did the idea for the Saint Charles Pop-Up Store come about?
Our Saint Charles pop-up store in Frankfurt is a real Corona baby. The contact with Saint Charles is admittedly already before Corona. That was in winter, shortly after Kathrin, my partner showed me the pharmacy in Vienna. I was thrilled by the smells, the quality and the variety of products. But when my main business was paralyzed due to corona and the pharmacy on Liebfrauenberg closed down, everything happened very quickly. Due to the time limit of the lease, I gave us no more than six weeks for the renovation, which led to the one or other night shift and curses on the construction site!
How is it that someone known for off-locations and music events is opening a pop up store on the topics of sustainable natural cosmetics, herbal healing and regional foods?
My background as an event organizer is only a supposed contradiction. The niche I have played for 10 years has much in common with the Saint Charles project at Liebfrauenberg. Take the theme of sustainable resource use, which is one of the most important parts of the Saint Charles DNA. My focus as an organizer was sort of the same, except that my resource was vacant spaces that we transformed, opened to the public, and used for cultural purposes. Vacant space, in these times of overcrowded cities and redensification debates, is not sustainable, it's wasteful. My approach of cultural interim uses of vacant spaces aims exactly at making better use of the resources space and time. In our pop-up, together with Saint Charles, we do nothing else. We transform a vacant space for a limited window of time and breathe new life into it with a different concept.
Why Saint Charles?
I have had a personal interest in herbal medicine, ethically sourced foods and supplements for years. As such, the collaboration is also only due to the Corona coincidence in terms of the current pop up. Sooner or later we would have had to do something together!
The Saint Charles Pop-Up Store & Deli celebrated its official opening on July 24, 2020. Here we present the Saint Charles assortment to smell, taste and feel. Visitors can also expect regional superfoods from local partners in the Frankfurt region for take-away. Learn more about our new Saint Charles pop-up store and the extraordinary concept here.
