A NEW pop-up business has opened in Basingstoke’s Festival Place – and the woman behind it is hoping it will be the start of a growing success story.

The business is called Space Qube and is run by Alison John, who is an interior designer hailing from Hungerford Bottom, near Southampton.

Situated on the upper floor at Festival Place, half of the unit is a café – Café Qube – while the rest of the area is a pop-up business area, which is currently showcasing Hampshire Fare products, to help celebrate the Hampshire Food Festival taking place this month.

Among local products for sale are chocolates from Owaw, based in Old Basing, Anvil Coffee from Qualitasse, based in West Ham Industrial Estate, and The Hampshire Jam & Chutney Company, based at Farleigh Wallop.

Every few weeks, the theme of the shop will change.

Describing Space Qube as a new retailing concept to life in Basingstoke, Alison said: “We believe that shopping should be about high-quality, fun and memorable experiences.

“Our customers will see a new scheme with new products and brands every few weeks, plus they can sit back, relax and enjoy high-quality coffee, tea, and cake in our modern cafe. The response from customers has been good.

“People love the fact that it’s different and it’s local, and we would like to encourage more and more people around Basingstoke to get involved.”

Impressed with the support she has received from Festival Place, Alison said there has been interest in Space Qube from other shopping centres since she opened in Basingstoke.

Alison said: “My dream is to make this work and open shops across the UK.”