Has anybody ever been pleased to see a pound shop appear on their local High Street? Not often, as they’re usually both full of tat and a strong sign that the town’s fortunes are on the slide. Well here’s a Poundshop with a difference, one that offers little shots of design goodness at a quid a pop. Or sometimes more. But still cheap!

The Poundshop, brought into being by director George Wu and design tutor Sara Melin (and who we first featured back in 2010), have this time popped up at the Chinese Art Centre in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. They’ve offered designers space to showcase some experimental products, and because it’s a temporary venture (open until 22nd June) with low overheads, participants get to gauge reaction to their items without risking the shirt off their backs, and earn a bob or two in the process.

The retail interior, the inventive creation of local firm Music, is a great shop to wander around, among and through for a browse, and there’s a nifty app-based buying system which lets you scan barcodes to check the price range of an item (they are divided into £1, £5 or £10 categories) and have the stuff delivered to your door. Bargain!