Yongkang Street embraces socially aware shopping

2014-08-26

The recent addition of several stores specializing in socially aware merchandise is giving visitors to bustling Yongkang Street in downtown Taipei City a new perspective on retail therapy.

Lai Hao and Fingertip Art are two such shops. The former is dedicated to promoting products made by disadvantaged groups in Taiwan such as aboriginals and new immigrants, while the latter retails embroidered bags crafted by women from the Qiang ethnic group in mainland China.

The Qiang live in the mountainous region of northwestern Sichuan province in mainland China. Many of these people lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that devastated the region in May 2008.

Chris Lin of Fingertip Art said both businesses act as a platform for fostering self-reliance and preserving unique craft skills of at-risk communities.

“Although not certified as fair trade operations, the stores fully support the concept,” Lin said. “The products all come with touching personal stories and offer shoppers a great opportunity to demonstrate their goodwill.”

A similar operation is Tara, which sells cotton and ramie book cloth and recycling bags produced by Tibetan female exiles in India. They are descendants of the 1 million Tibetans who fled mainland China on foot to India and Nepal in 1959.

Owner Li Ming-chu said she chose to set up the store on Yongkang Street as she thought the business would interest the large number of visitors from Japan and South Korea. “But to my surprise, it was the local shoppers who proved more socially conscious and eager to make a difference.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=220958&CtNode=413)