A fair trade shop in Hull city centre is set to provide a platform to support other like-minded organisations as part of its latest expansion plan.
The One World Shop in Waltham Street, at the side of BHS, started in one small room in 1996. It has since expanded to occupy four rooms which support the sale of Hull’s largest selection of fair trade goods.
The next stage will be the conversion of another room which will enable the team at the shop, backed by the Hull and East Riding Community Foundation, to step up their support for fair trade ventures around the region.
Anne Fitzpatrick, manager of the shop, said: “The room will become a resource centre with a lending library and a lot of other information about fair trade.
“If people are having a fair trade event they will be able to come here and buy or borrow material for displays – everything from bunting to inflatable bananas.”
Anne arrived at the shop in 2007 and oversees a team of volunteers who work on the premises and across the area, visiting markets, festivals and other events to sell products ranging from tea, coffee, rice and chocolate to toys, clothing, stationery and jewellery.
The Foundation became involved two years ago when Chris and Pete Church, who had set up the business from home 25 years before, finally called it a day.
Nigel Mills, chief executive of the Foundation, said: “We are 100 per cent behind the ethos of fair trade and we thought it would be a crying shame if the business had to close. We came in to maintain the permanent presence which the shop provides and to support the network of people behind it.”
Awareness of the shop is increasing gradually with the completion of construction work nearby and rising footfall to Albion Street car park and the Wilberforce Health Centre.
The aim now is to build on that. Negotiations are progressing to secure planning permission for signage on the outside of the building, and there are efforts to develop the online presence.
Anne said: “A proper sign will help us to let people know we’re here and our online activity will tell people what we are about and what we sell. The new room will show people how they can get involved and how they can set up a fair trade school, a fair trade church, a fair trade business.”
Through the Foundation, which is the co-ordinator of Humber Business Week, the One World Shop has developed stronger links with businesses in the region.
Anne said: “That’s something else we would like to build on because there are companies which are showing interest as part of their commitment to corporate social responsibility.”
The shop’s selling points are about quality and conscience but also cost, with many products competitively-priced, some of them unique and all of them capable of making a difference.
Nigel said: “It’s about supporting people whose products are not easily available. We use suppliers who are in real need of support, who by-pass the main markets and whose products cannot be found anywhere else.
“Choosing to by a £1 bracelet from here instead of somewhere else makes a big difference to the producer. If we sell a 90 kilo bag of rice it means the farmer who grew it can send his child to school for a year – and it’s very good rice.”
Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “The One World Shop really is a treasure trove tucked away in the heart of the city centre and is well worth seeking out.
“There’s a story behind everything that they sell. They have some amazing products and the opening of the resource centre will help them to expand their customer base.”
(Photographer: Karl Andre)
