A NEW pop-up store in Caldicot is helping independent traders get a foothold in the town.
Located on the high street, and entirely run by volunteers, Caldicot Goes Pop! has been thought up by the Caldicot Town Team.
It's a space where, for a nominal fee, traders, craftspeople and residents can showcase their wares to get their names out there.
At the moment, visitors can pick up handcrafted items as varied as candles, cards, gifts, headbands and even clothes for babies born prematurely.
"We bring them into the town centre to give them a bit of a presence," said Aaron Reeks, voluntary director of Caldicot Town Team.
"We know that rents and rates in the town centre are, in general, very high."
Traders can book a slot at Caldicot Goes Pop! on a monthly basis to enable them to sell from the town centre.
There are two options in-store.
Traders can pay for part of a shelving unit - which will display their goods for sale.
To rent three shelves will cost £10 per week.
The second option is renting a bigger pitch on one of the two table arrangements in-store.
The bigger pitches are priced at £50 per week.
These pitches can be manned by the traders themselves, which means there is flexibility in opening hours.
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One of the semi-permanent traders in-store is Caldikids, which specialises in custom-made baby clothing.
They also work with the charity Bliss to create clothes for babies which are born prematurely.
The ultimate aim of Caldicot Goes Pop! is, Mr Reeks explained, to eventually get the independent traders moved into their own premises within the town centre.
Caldicot Goes Pop! is open from 9.30am until 2.30pm - Monday to Saturday.
Caldicot Town Team also organise the markets in the town centre and Mr Reeks expects this Saturday's event to be "a big one".
35 traders are booked for the event - with set-up starting at 4am.
Mr Reeks is appealing to anyone who "happens to be an early-riser to come and help us".
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