People Tree Shop - 8 Years Old today!
Today we cracked open the champagne at 10 in the morning, to celebrate the anniversary of our first shop in Tokyo, together with People Tree's regular customers. It's a shame you couldn't have been with us.
The idea of a shop came about after huge media coverage of Japan's first Fair Trade and organic chocolate bar, back when People Tree's only office was in the front room of my home, and people were queuing at the front door to buy chocolate for Valentine's Day. If there was that much interest in buying Fair Trade, surely we had to have a shop, thought I, naively. At that time there were 17 people working all hours in my home, and we'd run out of space to run talks and seminars, so this huge shop in Jiyugaoka (which means Freedom Hill) was perfect. Today, the shop stocks Fair Trade fashion and accessories, Fair Trade foods, interiors and gifts from 70 groups around the world. It is quite a success story in a competitive city, where it seems that a shop nearby closes down every six months. None of this would have been possible without the really dedicated shop manager, Mari, and her team, and faithful customers who are constantly bringing friends, telling us what they think, and thinking of innovative ways to promote Fair Trade. Today there was even a womens' choir, all wearing the same Fair Trade outfits on stage.
Last summer we opened a prototype 'franchise' store in the up-market shopping district of Tokyo, and we are hoping to open more like it, including one in London. So if there is anyone out there who is interested in starting a People Tree franchise shop in London, we'd love to talk to you!
