A WELL-LOVED collectable shop in Andover will host its first community event to bring together residents and local businesses.

The popular collectable shop, The Greek Emporium, which opened last December in Waterloo Court, will be hosting ‘GeekFest’ next week, Saturday, September 25.

The shop, which has been well loved by residents in the area has been at the heart of Andover since it opened and is often involved in helping the community, including recently offering work experience to young people.

The festival will showcase a variety of small local independent businesses and support those who work from home and who don’t have a unit to work from. On hand will be food stalls, face painting, storytelling sessions and a range of movie cars to keep everyone entertained throughout the day.

Stuart Gatward, owner of The Geek Emporium, said it’s always been his goal to bring community events to the town.

He said: “It’s good for the town’s growth, so I am really pleased to able to bring GeekFest to the town.”

The festival will take place in the band-new Riverside Park, which opened to the public in March, with an official launch in June. The stalls will stretch all the way from the entrance next to Wilko, to the entrance of the Chantry Centre car park.

During the day both children and young people can complete the ‘Geek Trail, where they can collect stickers from each of the stalls on show. The tickets can then be used win a goodie bag from the shop, as well as discounts from local businesses including dessert café Canta Gelato.

The festival will run from 10am to 3pm and more information about the event and what to expect on the day can be found on The Geek Emporium’s Facebook page.