Yesterday I took some international colleagues on a walking tour of Philadelphia and it reminded me of a great lesson in living sustainable. BUY LOCAL. While many of the products might come from a great distance away, many local retailers work with local producers and even if the product has made a long journey the consumer has not. Buying local save fuel and energy on the buyers end and supports the local economy and these are all parts of creating a sustainable life.
Smak Parlour is one of the best examples of local in Philadelphia. Abby and Katy are grads of the Drexel d&m program and they opened Smak Parlour after gaining some valuable experience in NYC. When they began, they produced their own garments in store - definitely local and supplemented their designs with a highly edited selection of accessories. They have moved their production off-site (it is still local) and have worked to include other local designers.
My purchase yesterday was a necklace produced by a local designer using baubles and gew gaws scavenged from antique jewelry. Sustainable all round and very lovely as well.
