All wrapped up

Selling stuff is fun, because as shopkeepers we get to search out and find the type of things that we would buy... if we were to buy anything, which we rarely do because we're too busy selling.

To retain our sanity and to stop us from feeling that we're filling the world up with yet more rubbish, we really try to sell stuff that we think has something good about it: not being made from poisonous substances, for example, is a good one; beautiful to look at, well made, long lasting, non-polluting, providing a living to people involved in the manufacturing, enhancing of the natural world... these are the type of things that can mitigate the uneasy feeling I would have if I were to sell, for example, weapons, weedkiller, pornography, Volkswagens or financial products. For me, selling plants makes me happy because plants grow, soak up pollution and flood water, provide local employment, look beautiful, provide food and shelter for wildlife: what's not to like about that? Plants make their owners happy and even those people (like me) who unconscioulsy identify and muse on absolutely every passing piece of greenery.

Here are two new 'lines' in our shop that inspire us and tie in with our way of thinking: beautifull wrapping papers from 'Wrap' in the UK and gorgeous creams, soaps and salves from the Burren perfumery. Wrap features designs from young, up-and-coming illustrators, uses vegetable based inks, prints on FSC paper and is all produced in the UK. The Burren Perfumery, established over 40 years ago, is based in the Burren, Co Clare, producing certified organic cosmetics in small batches. As they say, their 'aim is to be better than the best of the large brands, without having to make compromises need to directly compete in the high street.'

We now stock hand soaps, castile soaps, body / hand lotions and balms. The soaps and lotions come in six fragrances: Atlantic Coast, Grassland, Herb Garden, rish Limestone, Lost Garden and Woodland. The balms come in four herbal types: Arnica, Borage, Calendula and Comfrey.