Last week I had a bit of an East End expedition, walking through Petticoat Lane and Brick Lane before arriving at Boxpark. It's a "Shipping container, pop-up mall for independent and global, fashion and lifestyle stores and cafes" and it's amazing what you can do with a shipping container.
It's not a run of the mill shopping mall either, as you'd expect from anything housed in a shipping container. There's a wide mix of goods available from fun to innovative. The shop that drew me there was Decorum which sells gifts and accessories for the home, with an eclectic mix of vintage, modern and contemporary and a great use for old wine bottles (see below).
Both Tusch Und Egon and Gift Box were packed with bright colourful items and I was particularly taken with the Pop Up Pets in Gift Box, but I wasn't sure if it was responsible to get all four...
The Swedish Hasbeens was the busiest unit and i'd be tempted to pop back and try them out, well they are shoes and you know me and shoes! They look comfortable, even though the soles are wooden. There's a vast array of shops too - clothes, shoes, gifts, glasses and hair products.
After I'd explored the containers, and I went in most of them I headed towards Shoreditch High Street. You can see London's skyline - with the Gherkin - in the distance. And then I walked past and advertisement for something I'd not seen before, and that's Zorb football. It looks odd, but oddly fun.
As I turned to cross the road, I spotted the repurposed tube carriages of Village Underground so stopped for a picture or two! It's a non-profit space and four recycled Jubilee line tube carriages along with yet more shipping containers make up the space for creatives where up to 50 artists, filmmakers, musicians and designers can work.