Holiday shopping is to some, buying things you can’t get at home. Or maybe buying souvenirs, special for the place you’re visiting. Or maybe just doing some shopping for the simple reason that you’re on holiday and you have time to explore shops. But it can also be an opportunity to explore a destination through its shops and locally produced products. Local arts and crafts can tell you a lot about a place and its history. What traditions have affected what’s created? What materials are used? Who makes the products?
I try not to buy much at all these days but for the sake of the economy, we can’t stop altogether. Instead we need to find more conscious ways of consuming things and ask ourselves more questions before we buy something. Do I really need this? Is it something I will use for a long time? What is it made of? Where was it made? Who made it?
Supporting local businesses, ensuring they can make a living or continue their craftsmanship, is definitely something worth doing. As a general rule, we should be buying less stuff than we currently do. And if we do need something then we should look at second hand options first. But for those trying to survive in the world of retail, creating something genuine, there is also the aspect of supporting those who are trying to do things differently.
Small, local businesses with a lot of handmade products are good examples, so when touring Sweden for our summer holidays, this is what I’ve mainly been looking out for. Exploring small, countryside shops. And exploring craftsmanship and creativity, whilst supporting local, handmade production.
What I picked up this summer
The pic above shows what I found during my summer holiday around Sweden.
An organic handmade soap bar from Prima Gård on the island of Gotland, where the owner creates ceramics, jewellery and natural beauty products.
A beautiful ceramic vase made by the owner of Bruksgodset, located in the countryside just north of Örnsköldsvik on the High Coast of northern Sweden.
A brass candle holder and a glass vase (I’ve already got a smaller size so this was a larger one) from a small second hand shop in the tiny town of Virserum in the Småland region of southern Sweden.
And two ceramic bowls from the pottery store Etelhems Krukmakeri, also on the island of Gotland. We visited this place when I was a kid so it was nice to be back and buy something that’s made there. And I’ve been looking for breakfast bowls this size for ages.
