|
Instead of buying pointless plastic tat or gadgets that will end up in landfill in a few months' time, why not buy something hand made, beautiful and good value instead. Etsy is a website with hundreds of small suppliers of handmade arts and crafts. 
Etsy looks a bit American at first glance but in fact has suppliers from all over the place. Here's a list of the UK suppliers on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5117278 You can also enter your location on this page, to find the suppliers close to you: http://www.etsy.com/shop_local.php?utm_source=Homepage&utm_medium=Nav&utm_campaign=ShopLocal You could even take the hand made pledge at: http://www.buyhandmade.org/ Folksy Folksy is a UK equivalent of Etsy, though perhaps with not quite the same breadth of suppliers: http://www.folksy.com Markets
Markets such as the Old Market or Up Market in Spitalfields or Portobello in London also have a wealth of small suppliers selling good value hand made and second hand goods. Colombia Road flower market on a Sunday offers incredibly beautiful flowers and plants at a fraction of what you would pay for them at a large commercial garden centre. For beautiful, and often very good value, second hand furniture and ornaments, try an antiques market, such as the enormous one in Sunbury: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/05/antiques-markets-homewares There are excellent markets all around the country with more character and better value than the clone high streets. The National Market Traders Federation has information on markets all across the UK: http://www.nmtf.co.uk/
|
0 Comments