Corner shop making a difference
Many years ago, a long-haired musician named Jeremy Piercy would busk outside a shop on Minster Gates in the heart of the pedestrianised city centre. And the money he earned eventually enabled him to introduce a new retailing concept to York in that very shop.
Everyone has heard of fair trade today. But in 1986, when Jeremy opened One World in Goodramgate, it was an idea with the power to surprise. He moved the enterprise to a larger space on the corner of Minster Gates in 1993 and renamed it Shared Earth. The business continues to prosper to this day.
Info
Address 1 Minster Gates, York, YO1 7HL, +44 (0)1904 623770, www.sharedearth.co.uk | Public Transport 6-minute walk from Bootham Row car park. Closest bus stop: Exhibition Square | Hours Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm| Tip To find out which other shops, cafes, and restaurants support fair trade, go to www.fairtradeyork.com.
Jeremy was inspired by a trip he had taken to India after leaving school. Keen to do something to redress the wealth imbalance he had witnessed, he hit on fair trade. That original Goodramgate shop sold a wide variety of products from Asia, Africa, and South America, as well as many recycled and sustainable lines to ensure the shop was environmentally friendly too. Shared Earth is the natural evolution of those early trading days. It has a simple aim: “to improve the livelihoods of disadvantaged people in developing countries, benefiting local community projects and keeping alive traditional skills that would otherwise be lost.”
What’s for sale? Beautifully decorated trinket boxes from India and colourful bags and hair bobbles from Nepal; handmade notebooks from Indonesia and pencils made from twigs in Thailand; Chinese stress balls and embroidered wall hangings; oil burners, mugs, wind chimes, and plant pots. And you can even present your gift in Shared Earth wrapping paper with a greeting card to match.
The business now imports its own jewellery, fashion accessories, wood, ceramics, paper, soapstone, and kids’ toys and gifts. With a second shop in Liverpool, Shared Earth is said to be the largest retailer and wholesaler of fair-trade products in Britain. Not too shabby for a shaggy-headed busker with a dream …
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