100% Sir Gâr pop-up shop moves to Pembrey Country Park

Local businesses taking advantage of a pop-up shop in Carmarthen’s St Catherine’s Walk have been selling out of stock because of demand.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s 100% Sir Gâr pop-up shop has helped boost the business of several local producers and arts and crafts retailers during its time in the former Topshop unit.

The pop-up has now moved on to Pembrey Country Park where sellers will be offering their goods from Wednesday August 18 to Saturday August 21.

100% Sir Gâr was developed during the Covid-19 pandemic as a virtual shop window on the council’s Discover Carmarthenshire website, as a way of supporting local businesses to recover from a long period of lockdown and restrictions on retail.

Businesses including Cariad Candles, Gemwaith Defana, Melys neis, Prick in a Box and Coles Brewery have been amongst those taking advantage of the space to display and share their goods.

Penny Powell, owner of Cariad Candles, was one of the sellers to sell out some of her products in the first week.

“It was really successful, I really enjoyed it,” she said. “The pop-up shop was a great opportunity for small businesses in Carmarthenshire to showcase their products. The event was well organised and as a small business I was given the support I needed to succeed in this event. I had great feedback from my customers to thought it was a great use of the empty shop and enjoyed the experience of browsing, chatting and meeting the businesses owners in the local area.”

Eleri Soanes, who owns Melys Neis and Prick in a Box, added: “It was great to see an empty high street store full of local businesses.”

100% Sir Gâr is part of the council’s overall Economic Recovery Plan which aims to safeguard and create jobs, support businesses and bolster the local economy over the next two years, focusing efforts on 11 key themes with emphasis on maximising opportunities for local businesses and growing the economy.

It has been supported by local business and retail groups, and the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2014-2020, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Leader of the council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Cllr Emlyn Dole, said: “I’m so pleased that the first 100% Sir Gâr pop-up shop has been such a resounding success. This is just one of the many ways we are supporting local businesses at a time when they need it most. I’d like to thank everyone who has called in and given them much needed support. We hope this platform acts as a springboard for their businesses and wish them every luck for the future.”

For more information about 100% Sir Gâr, to browse Carmarthenshire’s range of small local businesses or to sign-up if you are a local producer, visit www.discovercarmarthenshire.com/shopping