Good design should allow you to live a good life.
At the time of opening this shop I have just a small number of items to sell. These have all been carefully chosen or designed by me because they meet the criteria I have identified as being important to me and Mrs Goodness. These criteria will underpin any future designs or products I might sell in the future as well because I’m determined to stay true to my values!
1. Sustainable healthy living should be easy, practical, and beautiful at the same time; you just need to get organised! I want to help people organise their homes so that their living environments encourage the kind of lifestyle they want to lead. A healthy home is a happy home 🙂 .
2. I don’t want to operate around “trade secrets”. No secret ingredients, no secret processes or designs – I am happy to share what I know with other people. I believe in encouraging people to make things from scratch for themselves, and I want to share how easy it can be. I am happy to share recipes with you and have you make things yourself if you choose.
3. I want to support (small) New Zealand businesses by sourcing products or ingredients that are locally made. I want my efforts to have flow-on benefits to my local community, so I want to promote and support people around me who aspire to do Good things too!
4. While some of my stock is, or includes, plastic, it has been included with thought. I want to promote “plastic-free” living, particularly where the negative consequences of using it outweigh any benefits. I want to avoid single-use plastic as much as I possibly can.
5. I definitely have a preference for glass, but glass like any other material varies in quality. Weck and Fido glassware are made in countries where the quality is tested regularly. Both brands of glassware are designed for long-term food storage, so lead levels are the lowest possible and are assured not to leach into food. The glass is thick and durable, and designed to last (provided the basic high school science rule is followed: No extreme temperature changes for glass please!).
6. I want to promote durable, reusable products. Materials that will look good, function well, and last. Designs that have timeless style. Good design should allow you to live a good life.
7. Although many online shops I admire take great pride in gift-wrapping with fancy ribbons and pretty paper, I want to move the focus away from packaging for looks’ sake to the product. I make an effort to present my objects beautifully but also practically, and I endeavour to use 100% compostable wrapping and packing material. In the rare instance that plastic is necessary (eg. when I am posting a book in wet weather), I will use only pre-used plastic. Unfortunately, the pre-used cardboard boxes I use for postage usually already have plastic packing tape on them.
8. I don’t want to sell food in my shop, but I’m happy to share starters that I have with people who live locally (Hamilton). I currently have healthy specimens of water kefir grains and kombucha SCOBYs. I can use my social media accounts to help people share and find these goodies if they live further afield.
And lastly, I will admit that one of my motives for starting an online shop is wanting to be able to write the Mrs Goodness blog and one day financially support myself without having to resort to advertising. I wanted my blog to share (what I consider to be) my good ideas without any paid affiliations or sponsors or ads getting in the way.
So, thank you for reading this far! I really appreciate your support, and I welcome your feedback. I’d also like to squeeze in a big thank you to my family and friends, who have made this dream of mine come true! And a big thank you to Scotts Epicurean cafe for collecting their glass water bottles for me to repurpose and sell – you’re a lovely bunch of people!
x Esther
