Coventry City of Culture Trust’s vibrant new retail store, ticketing and information centre opens in the city centre from Friday 30 April.
The Trust has been working with partners to fit-out the unit at 31-35 Hertford Street over recent weeks to launch before the UK City of Culture year starts on 15 May, remaining open through to May 2022.
The store, which is open seven days a week, Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm and on Sunday 11am-5pm, is offering Coventry City of Culture merchandise – from clothing and postcards to exclusive, bespoke and artisan items by local makers – as well as providing a ticketing service and information on upcoming events. It will showcase and sell original artworks and products created by artists and makers from Coventry and Warwickshire.
The new location is also home to a studio for media broadcasts, a meeting space for visiting delegates from across the UK and beyond, and a refreshments offer, which will feature food and drinks made by Coventry businesses.
The store will be a hub for Coventry 2021 right across the year and will provide a place for the public to find out everything they need to know about the year as UK City of Culture.
Laura McMillian, Director of Audience Strategy, said: “We are excited to open our shop today, and welcome the people of Coventry to what will be a central hub for our City of Culture year.
“It is great to see the city starting to open up again as we follow the roadmap out of restrictions, and to have a physical space where visitors can buy a ticket for City of Culture events, pick up a coffee and something to eat or buy merchandise.
“With just a couple of weeks to go until our year gets underway, this store will be a hive of activity and help put Coventry UK City of Culture at the heart of city.”