Pop-up shops adding to sense of community at new development.
A floating outdoor coffee shop has opened at Port Loop, Birmingham’s new island community being delivered by joint venture partners Places for People and Urban Splash.
Organised by Civic Square, The Floating Front Room is operating from the Port Loop canal boat, with guest baristas and bakers serving takeaway coffees and cakes every Monday between 9am and 3pm and every Wednesday and Saturday, between 10am and 3pm, until Christmas.
In keeping with Port Loop’s desire for residents to ‘live well by accident’ and ‘be green without trying’, every Saturday Civic Square will be working with EZoCycle to offer free bike checks and maintenance classes to anyone that visits The 
Additionally, residents and the local community can participate in free taster canoeing lessons with Olympian, Andy Train, every Wednesday at Port Loop, encouraging more people to use the local waterways for recreation and travel.
Ad-hoc outdoor pop up shops – such as Back to Brum Books and Pedalling Pantry – will also be operating at The Floating Front Room on a regular basis.
Imandeep Kaur, Co-founder of Civic Square, explained the concept of The Floating Front Room: “Our aim is to adapt the significance of the traditional front room into our neighbourhoods. The Floating Front Room allows us to bring new homeowners and the existing community around Port Loop together, providing an engaging, caring and collective space to socialise and connect over a cup of coffee and slice of cake; provided by the best baristas and bakers in the city.”
Adam Willetts, Project Director for the Port Loop JV, commented: “Port Loop isn’t just a collection of houses, it’s a new neighbourhood that will boast places to play, eat and work. The Floating Front Room by Civic Square represents a significant milestone in building a mixed-use neighbourhood at Port Loop.
“This opening has been made even more special by the fact that Civic Square made the decision to open during the current pandemic, incorporating social distancing and other safety procedures whilst creating a welcoming and engaging environment for residents and the local community to socialise and enjoy the green spaces on offer for everyone at Port Loop – something which is so important after months of lockdown and potential isolation for many. The Floating Front Room has already served hundreds of people and the feedback has been excellent. We are incredibly excited to be working with Civic Square at Port Loop and look forward to what the future holds.”
The opening follows a successful few months at Port Loop, with strong sales recorded throughout June, July and August, with many new homeowners attracted by the green space, waterside location, contemporary and spacious house designs and close proximity to the city centre.