It’s a shop that allows you to consume and purchase for a cause.
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, visual artist Martie Datu started looking for ways to express her creativity and skills while helping small communities in Bicol, Romblon, Iloilo, and La Union. What began as a hobby—creating candles and soaps—eventually turned into an online business: The Fine Life Market.
The shop surged in popularity, catering to several cities and provinces in the Philippines. Encouraged by this warm reception and wanting to inspire customers to make environmentally positive lifestyle changes, Datu decided to create a brick-and-mortar version of The Fine Life Market in Kapitolyo.
With slow living and sustainability at its core, The Fine Life Market offers purposeful and proudly Philippine-made products including home and personal care, kitchen and home furnishings, and other slow-living lifestyle essentials. These include all-natural liquid castile hand and body soaps, healing balms and aromatherapy shower tablets; and reusable items like beeswax wraps, abaca food covers, artist-crafted charger plates, and paperless towels.
By providing accessible and convenient eco-friendly selections, The Fine Life Market targets to teach their customers how to live sustainably at home. They also aim to promote better health and well-being through their products.
The physical space also has its own coffee shop, Katha Kape Cafe, where shoppers can relax and enjoy Philippine coffee. They offer a mixture of quality Arabica and Robusta beans from the provinces of Benguet and Batangas.
The Fine Life Market encourages “mindful shopping,” where customers can take their time learning about the products and their benefits. This inspires conscious consumerism, allowing buyers to support local artisanal communities in the Philippines. The store aims to transform into a community hub for workshops and other activities in the future.
Aside from slow and deliberate consumerism, The Fine Life Market also advocates for the prevention of the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC). To work toward this goal, they have partnered with the International Justice Mission (IJM), a global organization which helps local authorities protect people and communities from violence. In the Philippines, IJM is focused on working with the justice system to combat OSEC. As Freedom partners of IJM, The Fine Life Market donates a fixed percentage of their sales to help protect and rescue children from OSEC.
The Fine Life Market is located at 3 Brixton St. Kapitolyo, Pasig 1603, Follow on IG: @thefinelifemarket, FB: The Fine Life Market, or order via website www.thefinelifemarket.com. For inquiries please email tflminquire@gmail.com.
