This is Leicestershire -- Treat yourself and help people living in some of the world's poorest countries at the same time. Gemma Peplow recommends a visit to the city's Fairtrade Shop--------------------
Counter Culture never needs an excuse to visit The Fairtrade Shop, one of the brightest, most colourful shops in all of Leicester. Filled with scrummy sweets and chocolate, beautifully carved trinket boxes, rainbow-coloured rugs and silky-soft scarves, among many other lovely things, it's a little store that makes us very happy to be a certified shopper. So, as we say, we often pop in, but seeing as Fairtrade Fortnight starts on Monday, we thought now would be the perfect time to reacquaint you, good reader, with its ethical wares. First of all, the ethos: everything in store is fair trade, which means the people who grow or make the items get a fair price and fair working conditions. Every time you buy, you're doing your bit to help people in the worlds' poorest countries to work their way out of poverty. The store has Leicester's widest and latest range of fair trade products, from the traditional to the very cool and quirky. The staff know the story behind all the items, so don't be afraid to ask about how, exactly, mirror frames are made from bicycle inner tubes, or about the work that goes in to putting together the pretty beaded bracelets, which are hand-made by workers in Nairobi and Ghana. The shop has two floors, with upstairs dedicated to food and bigger home items. Here, you'll find the likes of gorgeous hand-loomed cotton rugs in all manner of patterns, intricately carved photo frames and colourful crockery. We love the pretty ceramic pods for tea lights, which are made in Thailand and can be hung on tree branches to bring a bit of a glow to your summer evenings. There are shelves filled with fair trade food, from chocolates and biscuits to muesli and tea, as well as toiletries and cleaning products. So, if you're serious about fair trade, you could pretty much run your entire home by shopping here. Downstairs, you'll find lots of lovely jewellery, with brands including Pachamama and Luna Tree. There's also Braintree clothing, Patchouli Fair eastern-inspired scarves and Besmo recycled bags, made from all manner of weird and wonderful things. If you've ever fancied owning a Porsche, you can get the (almost) next best thing in a Besmo bag made from recycled Porsche seatbelts. Buying a present? Then make sure you pick up some of the pretty handmade wrapping paper and a card. If you're one of The Fairtrade Shop's loyal fans, you're probably already planning to say hello during Fairtrade Fortnight. But if you've never been in before, may we politely suggest that now would be a very good time to indulge. We think you'll be pleased you did. *Info* The Fairtrade Shop is in Silver Street, in the city centre. Visit:www.justfairtrade.com
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*Get in touch* Opening a new shop, bar, salon or whatnot? Revamping an old one? Got a sale on? Not doing anything new but feel you're worth shouting about? Send your info to Gemma Peplow, Leicester Mercury, St George Street, Leicester, LE1 9FQ, or e-mail: gemmapeplow@leicestermercury.co.uk Follow Gemma on Twitter @gemmapeplow Reported by This is 16 hours ago.