MILFORD - Everyone's place

Milford - Everyone’s place

Trading Circle
Not-for-profit Milford

Gifts and many other hidden treasures from the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

If you are looking for Christmas gifts that are very special there is a good chance you will find them in the heart of Milford’s main street at The Trading Circle, where there are many hidden treasures.
The Trading Circle is a not-for-profit organisation managed by Sisters of the Good Sheppard. Their mission is to help empower women in developing countries to earn the money they and their families need to survive and live with dignity. So all the lovely products at The Trading Circle have been hand-crafted by women in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
So when you buy a gift you can be sure that it follows the fair and ethical trade path and the women who have made them have been paid well for their work.
The day Channel Magazine called to say hello we had a lovely chat with store manager Margaret Chiaroni and two Sisters of The Good Sheppard, Sister Teresa Donworth and Sister Sharon Fitzgerald.
They are hugely proud of their work and very keen for North Shore people to know about the lovely gifts they have in their shop that was established three and a half years ago.
At The Trading Circle you will find lots of gifts for children. Lovely handmade toys, most of which are educational and development focused to assist learning. These include fabric books and a range of lovely dolls and animal settings. An example is Red Riding Hood. This is a 40cm three-in-one doll. Turn Red Riding Hood upside down and inside out to find grandmother and the wolf. This doll, like most of the other soft toys sold through The Trading Circle, is made by women in the Fatima Self Help Centre, situated in one of Bangkok’s slum areas.
You will also find many lovely handcrafted bags and scarves. Such as recycled bags made in the Phillipines from old telephone directories or fruit juice cartons.
The Trading Circle also has jewellery, cards, Peruvian wall hangings, homewares and religious items. Very popular are the Religious Statues made from ash from the eruption of Mt Pinatabo and bookmarks supporting East Timor.

The Trading Circle, 125 Kitchener Road, Milford. Phone 486 2518. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10am - 5pm; Saturday 10am - 3pm. Visit: www.thetradingcircle.org.nz