Source Just Fair Trade Shop in Silver Street, Leicester. A three floor eco-department store.
I like to have a wander around the Lanes in Leicester just before Christmas. A day when I have no serious shopping to do, everything is already organised and ordered, posted or packed away, and this is a little leisurely walk for me to enjoy the Christmas lights and atmosphere.
The Lanes are an older part of Leicester city centre, just by the outdoor covered market (first recorded in 1298), full of interesting buildings, pub and hostelries and independent shops. It's a lovely place to wander around at any time of the year and at this time of year, I like to call into the Just Fair Trade shop in Silver Street.
Actually, I usually sneak in the back way from St Martin's Square, as I did on the first time I visited, way back when I moved the Leicester. It says on the website that it has been here for 24 years, but I'm sure I came here to buy Christmas presents in 1988!
(I'm pretty sure the waste paper basket under my desk came from Just, when I first moved here. It must be getting on for thirty years old).
Source The toy corner on the ground floor which also hosts gifts, accessories, stationery, toiletries and seasonal products.
I love having a look around the ground floor, especially the seasonal displays. This year there were serried ranks of fingerless mitts with fleece linings. I occasionally venture to the first floor which houses clothing, but my favourite department is the basement with housewares.
I was on a mission: I wanted some small baskets or bowls to hold my wool while I was knitting. Up until now, I have been using small bowls from the kitchen to stop balls wandering away over the floor when you pull a little more yarn from them. Just is my favourite place for sustainably sourced basket ware.
I found three different kinds and in the end I couldn't choose, I had them all!
The pink and blue bowls are from Bangladesh and made from grass and re-cycled sari fabric. They're imported by Shared Earth, the largest retailers and wholesaler of Fair Trade products in the UK. You can read more about the producers, Prokritee and their experiences during the pandemic here.
THe multi-coloured square bowl is made from re-cycled newspapers, hand rolled and, I'm guessing, glued into the different shapes. They are imported by Paper High from Earthebound Creations, a social enterprise in Sri Lanka.
Finally, my favourite in the bottom left hand corner: a bowl made from coconut shell and lined with egg shells. These are imported by Namaste-UK from Vietnam.
The Quality Street are from my local co-op and essential for Christmas!
While I was browsing in Just, a song came on, I recognised it right from the first few notes! I don't remember hearing it before, possibly I have, but that sound and then the vocals - it can only be one thing:
