FEATURE:
Collectables, Must-Haves…and Everything Else
IMAGE CREDIT: Anthony Freeman
Would a Kate Bush Shop Succeed and Prove Popular?
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I have sort of pitched this…
PHOTO CREDIT: Alan Davidson/Rex/Shutterstock
when I talked about a Kate Bush pop-up shop. That was earlier in the year. There was a Bush pop-up shop that moved online that was erected and housed to promote her Remastered albums in 2018. It was a great endeavour that proved hugely popular. I think that, as she is growing in popularity, there is too much choice online; many people might miss out on something great. What I was thinking, as opposed to the idea I floated last year, having a permanent residence where there would be this shop entirely for her merchandise and records. There are bands and artists who do have shop space dedicated to them. I know ABBA are a group who have that honour. It would not need to be a big space. There are her studio albums and different versions of her albums. For instance, depending on which country they were released in, you get different covers. Her albums are available on vinyl, C.D. and cassette. There are boxsets and books; there are magazines about her, in addition to a range of different merchandise. Whether it could survive donating a lot of the profits to charity, I am not too sure. The 2018 pop-up raised money for Crisis. There was great merchandise, some stuff from her Before the Dawn residency (programmes, I think), and a whole host of goodies.
IN THIS PHOTO: An item on sale at the Kate Bush pop-up shop that appeared in London in 2018
I think that non-Kate Bush fans would love to spend some time in a shop that is all about her. Not to repeat myself too much, but there could be clothing and general apparel. A whole section with records. These would be vinyl, cassette and C.D. versions of her studio albums, E.P.s and anything else. There are also plenty of books about Bush that have come onto the market the past decade or so. Away from the more accessible and ‘conventional’ items, there are rarities and signed items you can get from auction sites that could be brought in-shop. Costing more, there are plenty of fans that would pay for the privilege. In terms of anything else in the shop, I guess having a screen or screens dotted around could play her interviews and music videos. I have a lot of Kate Bush produce in terms of the albums and some books, though there are things that are on my wish-list that would be awesome to have access to right away. I like websites where you can bid for items. Even so, it can get very expensive and take a while for the goods to arrive (if you are a successful bidder). I know it would be hard to replenish a section of a shop with rarities. You might get different items and signed goods that come in every month. The more fixed stock like books and albums could easily be restocked and kept topped up.
I have said before, when thinking of locations, how Covent Garden seems to be ideal. It is probably less expensive than other parts of London rent-wise, and Bush herself spent time there when training in dance. I associate Covent Garden with Bush taking lessons at the Dance Centre before her debut album came out. As I wrote recently, Bush did some charity work as a retail assistant in Covent Garden in 1988. I think that it would be able to pull a lot of people in. There are so many cool bits of merchandise and fan-made goods that could be brought to the wider public. Not that it would take business away from these sites. Instead, they would be able to sell goods like a market stall. Information about that website that people could visit afterwards. I look online and can see how many articles are published about Bush. She seems to grow in stature and popularity by the year! Another reason for having a shop in that part of London is that there are not that many record shops in the centre of town. It is quite difficult to get Kate Bush records on the high street in most parts of London. In a wider sense, it is a chance to celebrate and mark the incredible influence and impact of one of the music world’s true treasures. It would not just be me who would get excited about a all-under-one-roof trove for Kate Bush gold. I think that a shop could do…
REALLY well.