The Free Shop is… a shop where everything is free! We started the shop in an effort to connect to our neighbors in times of lockdowns where only shops were able to stay open. Being situated in one of Belgiums’ poorest areas with tiny housing conditions and great material needs we also sensed a need for people to spend time without having to spend money and the real material needs.

In an effort to communicate about our ‘circular economy’ project we started a free shop that combined all these elements, we made it look pretty and we asked to write us a kind thank you note for each item people ‘buy’. The one object a day policy and the many donators keep us stocked with fresh goodies every day.

In 2023 the project has won the jury prize of the Matexi Award for the ‘Most federating neighborhood project in Belgium’. Due to it’s great succes we’ve developed a dedicated NGO structure around it that will carry the project further from 2024 onwards.