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Hoxton Street Monster Supplies declared 2017 ‘Year of “Creeping Dread”’

Creeping Dread

Charity venture Hoxton Street Monster Supplies declares 2017 ‘Year of “Creeping Dread”’

Can a fantastical shop that sells supplies to monsters tell us something about life for humans in the UK today? It seems it might.  

In the period following the UK referendum and US election, trading arm of the children’s charity Ministry of Stories, founded by writer Nick Hornby, noted a 37% increase in sales of Creeping Dread and 26% increase on A Vague Sense of Unease compared to sales the same period previous years.  This suggests purchases of the charity’s tinned fear may capture something of a given zeitgeist.

Likewise, while scanning one’s news feed was never more compulsive or compelling as in this period, the shop’s 31% spike in sales of Salt Made from Tears of Boredom offered hint of a wish to return to simpler, less fraught days.  Trading manager Emily Murdock explains the charity’s culinary salts ‘made from human tears’ are promoted to humans (and monsters) to bring on the emotion felt while the tears fell.

Retaining the imaginative spirit of the project, Murdock also explains that while monsters are said to purchase tins of fear to give doses of the fear on the label to human victims, humans purchase the tins because minuscule doses are said to work homeopathically, providing a salve when fear begins to get out of control. 

100% of proceeds from sales from the shop that offers ‘Bespoke and Everyday Items for the Living, Dead and Undead’ go to the award-winning children’s creative writing charity. Their Tins of Fear contain specially commissioned short horror stories by well-known British authors eager to support the cause.

More about the Ministry of Stories

The Ministry of Stories is a creative writing and mentoring charity for children. Through a range of innovative writing programmes, and one-to-one mentoring, we help young people discover and realise their creative potential and provide a publishing platform for young writers, so these fresh, exciting voices are shared with the world. It’s rewarding work but not easy. We depend on the whole community for their support, including a network of more than 500 dedicated volunteers. You could be one of them!

For an insider’s take of the story by undead volunteer shopkeeper Paul Emsley, read on:  

Research reveals Creeping Dread narrowly beating Escalating Panic as 2017’s ‘Fear of the Year’, relegating 2016’s Heebie-Jeebies to a distant third place.
While the summer also saw strong showings of Alarm and Collywobbles, ‘Creeping Dread’ crept through to claim 2017’s title. “Dread tends to do that,” said a spokesmonster from Hoxton Street Monster Supplies: “It creeps.”
Sales of the store’s unique range of Tinned Fears, are thought to reflect the general jitteriness of the UK’s Human & Mostly-Human population. Weather weirding, North Korean missile testing, Brexit, and the Emoji Movie may all have bumped up the goosebumps.
 “Our non-monster clientele tends to purchase the fears that most closely mirror their own levels of anxiety,” says trading manager Emily Murdock, who herself is able pass for human, most days. “While Night Sweats and Alarm held up well, Creeping Dread stole the show.”
It’s not all good or bad news. “Most humans are yet to be Terror-struck, but there’s no need to fret,” said Emily. “We’re lurking right here if you need us.”

 

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Delivery information

We currently deliver to UK destinations only, via 2nd class Royal Mail or Parcel Force 48 Hours service.

Postage and packing costs:

  • - £3.50 for orders of up to £25,
  • - £7 for orders £25 - £50
  • - Free for any order over £50

This charge helps cover our costs and ensures your purchases support writing workshops for young people at the Ministry of Stories.

Our team of zombie volunteers aims to fulfil orders twice a week and on the outside you can expect delivery within 12 working days of order confirmation, but usually sooner. Unless something truly hideous happens, in which case delays of several centuries are not unlikely.

Returns information

You can return products if:

- You decide within seven days the product isn’t for you. You’ll receive a full refund, including delivery charge, processed within 30 days of return of the unwanted goods. Please send this with the original returns form supplied with your order, emailing us at shop@ministryofstories.org to let us know it is on the way. Please look after the product when you have it! Do not burn it, eat it, sit on it, drown it, or in any way cause it harm. We might need to ask for compensation otherwise.

- You don’t agree to a change in our terms and conditions or other policies, or you think the product is faulty. You will need to return the product with its original returns form. We’ll check the product upon receipt and email you regarding your refund. We’ll process it as soon as monstrously possible – definitely within 30 days of us emailing to confirm a refund. You’ll receive the full price of the product and delivery, plus any costs for sending it to us.

Please check the dispatch confirmation to find out more about your statutory right of cancellation. Returning a product doesn’t affect your other statutory rights as a consumer. Nor as a monster.

We try to use the same method to pay you as you used to pay us.

 
ministry of stories

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies is run under license from the Ministry of Stories, a volunteering organisation which helps young people with all manner of writing, through free one-to-one mentoring and writing workshops.

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