Words: Elisa Da Silva, Photography: Danny Evans
For many people, shopping can provide that hit of dopamine – whether you’re getting a little sweet treat or buying that dress you saw in the window and can’t stop thinking about. But nowadays, more and more of us are thinking about the impact of our shopping habits. Whether you’re trying to spend less, be a bit more sustainable with your purchases, or want to support your community by opting to buy from local businesses, there’s far more information out there about the difference it can make – both for you, and your community.
Jersey Hospice Care was started by the community, for the community, so community is at the heart of what we do. This is something we extend across our offerings – our care, our events, and with our shops. It’s also important that we collaborate with others who have similar views and ambitions. That’s why the partnership between The Hospice Shops and Holme Grown works so well.
From its humble beginnings as a roadside wheelbarrow farm shop, to a growing community hub of the East – Holme Grown is not your regular farm shop, but a space that champions local, quality products in a place that feels like home. The name itself pays homage to that, playing on the term ‘home grown’ and inspired by the family’s own home, Sunnyholme. Father and son duo Stanley and Charlie Payn run the hub, and work with various local suppliers and businesses to make sure there’s a wide variety on offer.
One of those just happens to be The Hospice Shop East – the latest venture to open there. In the same way Holme Grown isn’t your usual farm shop, The Hospice Shop East isn’t your usual charity shop. The shop – which is open seven days a week – prides itself in being a unique space, using recycled materials to give it an industrial feel, neon signage and leopard print wallpaper to give it a fun, boutique look that complements the fantastic, quality items on offer.
Once you step inside the shop, you can see and feel the difference. You’ve got an array of clothing and accessories, for women, men, and children, a curated range known as ‘The Collection’; which includes high street favourites, designer and occasion wear, the cosy library wall, showcasing a range of books ready to be read again, and an area dedicated to beautiful furniture waiting to decorate another home. And it’s all raising vital funds for Jersey Hospice Care. Once again drumming in the community focus that embodies both Holme Grown’s and Hospice’s values.
Stanley said: “Shopping locally is important because it boosts the local economy, creating jobs and keeping money in the community to support other local businesses, charities, and services. It’s also more personal and gives that deeper connection – you know you’re buying from people who might just live down the road from you, and who care deeply about what they do. The community aspect goes further than that too, we have so many loyal customers, many of whom we see on a daily basis in our shop and café and know by name. We’re not a fast paced place – we get to know our customers and really engage with them. For many, it’s a social activity that gets them out of the house and interacting with their neighbours.”
Claire Mackenzie, Manager at The Hospice Shop East, said: “Being able to open our third shop within Holme Grown allowed us to access different opportunities. Holme Grown is a well-known location in the east of the Island, the site has ample parking, and it already offers services – the café and farm shop – to our customers, which worked with our vision of creating a whole shopping experience. The family ethos and local produce connections within Holme Grown also tied nicely with our own mission and vision for our new shop.
We’ve recently introduced a lovely ‘local makers’ section, covering areas such as gifting and skincare products, which we struggle to generate through donations – so it’s a win-win collaboration. In the run up to the shop opening, we were also able to hold volunteer recruitment events at Holme Grown, and now we have a wonderful team of regular volunteers at the East shop!”
Both Holme Grown and The Hospice Shops also champion sustainability and care about the impact we have on our environment. Opting to shop local, small businesses and preloved helps you do just that. By shopping with us, each year you help to save approximately 100 tonnes of clothing from landfill, give around 25 tonnes of furniture a second life, and means roughly 12,000 books can be read again for the first time. If that’s not enough to make you feel good about your shop, then know that when you buy from The Hospice Shops, you’re also supporting an important cause – in this case, one that provides essential end of life care and bereavement support services to the community.
