When you’ve got an idea this great, it deserves an encore. After the tremendous success of LB/Lisbon’s Store+ effort for the Portuguese Red Cross, the first Spanish Red Cross Store opened last night in Madrid Xanadú, an upscale shopping center near the city’s center. The opening ceremony was a star-studded affair – those in attendance included Real Madrid footballers Álvaro Arbeloa and Ruben de la Red, recording artist Raúl, journalist and televison personality Paqui Peña and several others.
If you’re unfamiliar, the Hope Store first opened its doors in Lisbon for the Christmas season last year. While it looked like any ordinary retail shop, the store sold nothing you could wear, touch, hear or see – only feel. That’s because the “merchandise” included only cards that enabled visitors to make donations to the charity. While customers left with empty bags, their hearts were full.
At the Madrid opening, the shelves were filled with books that had covers each associated with a particular cause that the Red Cross supports. Each was blank inside, but held a bookmark letting customers know that by making a donation, the story would end a happy one.
Tags: hope store, lb iberia, madrid, red cross, store+
