Shop thoughtfully, celebrate colourfully: why I'm bringing Sip & Shop back to Sandgate
There’s something I really love about this time of year. The evenings are drawing in, Halloween is creeping closer and, in our house, there’s a definite shift towards crafts, candles, colourful little decorations and getting ready for the celebrations that come with autumn.
But for me, this time of year is about much more than buying something new to decorate the house. It’s about stories, traditions, creativity and sharing the things that make different cultures and communities unique.
And that’s really the reason behind bringing my Sip & Shop event back to Sandgate this October.
Shopping with a little more thought
Cheekymono has always been about buying things that mean a little more. I’m not interested in filling a shop with stuff for the sake of having stuff. I want the things I make and the things I sell to have a story behind them — whether that’s the person who made them, the traditional techniques used to create them, the culture they come from or simply the joy they bring into someone’s home.
I choose products that are Fair Trade, ethical and sustainably made, and the fair trade products I stock are sourced through trusted BAFTS suppliers and partners.
BAFTS exists to support fair trade businesses and the artisans and producers behind them, with a strong emphasis on fairer trading relationships, traditional skills and environmental responsibility. That matters to me.
Because when you buy something handmade or fairly traded, you're not just buying an object. You're helping keep skills alive, supporting someone's livelihood and choosing a product with a little more thought behind it.
Of course, no product is perfect and ethical shopping isn't about getting everything right. It's simply about becoming a little more curious about what we're buying, where it came from and who made it.
The stories behind the things we bring home
One of my favourite examples is the retablo. If you've never come across one before, retablos are beautiful little Peruvian folk-art boxes, filled with tiny hand-painted figures and scenes. They are miniature worlds, little stories captured inside a wooden frame.
Their history is fascinating, and the art form has evolved over generations. Traditional imagery sits alongside scenes of everyday life, musicians, celebrations, animals and, sometimes, wonderfully cheeky skeletons. That mixture of history, folklore, humour and incredible craftsmanship is exactly what I love about them.
They're not mass-produced decorations. They're pieces of folk art with a story to tell. I've written a whole piece about them — Retablos: Colourful Peruvian Tiny Tales Packed with Culture and a Dash of Cheeky Kitsch — if you'd like to discover a little more about where they come from and why I've become slightly obsessed with them.
And this is where Halloween and Día de los Muertos come in.
Halloween meets Día de los Muertos
Halloween and Día de los Muertos happen around the same time of year, but they aren't the same celebration.
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a deeply rooted Mexican tradition centred around remembering and honouring loved ones who have died. It is filled with colour, food, flowers, music, family and celebration.
I love the opportunity this time of year gives us to look beyond our own traditions and discover how other families and cultures mark important moments. That's one of the things I hope cheekymono can do. Not simply sell colourful things from around the world, but create little opportunities for people to become curious.
To ask questions.
To discover a tradition they didn't know about.
To learn the story behind something sitting on their shelf.
And perhaps to bring a little of that story into their own home.
Because culture shouldn't feel distant or inaccessible. Sometimes it starts with something as simple as a tiny painted box.
A little pop-up with a bigger purpose
So, this October 24th, I'm bringing a selection of my favourite fair trade and ethically sourced pieces back to Sandgate for Sip & Shop.
There'll be colourful Peruvian retablos, Mexican folk art, Day of the Dead-inspired pieces, curious little gifts, home décor, art prints and plenty of cheeky things to browse.
I'll also have some free Halloween crafts for children, so the event isn't just about grown-ups shopping. It's about families coming along, having a little creative fun and enjoying the atmosphere together.
And because it's being hosted at Sandgate Deli, there'll be a complimentary Pisco cocktail for grown-ups, with the Deli bar open throughout the day. Pisco is, of course, particularly close to my heart because of my Peruvian family heritage, so bringing a little taste of Peru into the event feels like a lovely way to share another part of the culture I grew up around.
Why Sip & Shop?
Because I don't think shopping has to be an isolated transaction.
It can be social.
It can be cultural.
It can be about meeting the person behind the little independent business you're buying from.
It can be about discovering something you wouldn't find on the high street, hearing the story behind it and knowing that your purchase has supported an artisan, a maker or a small business.
And it can be about community.
That's particularly important to me as cheekymono continues to grow here in Folkestone and Sandgate. I want it to be more than an online shop. I want it to be somewhere that connects people with creativity, culture, wellbeing, ethical products and each other.
Come and have a little browse
So, if you're starting to think about Halloween, Día de los Muertos, Christmas gifts or simply fancy finding something colourful and completely different for your home, come and have a browse.
Bring the kids. Bring a friend. Come for the shopping, stay for a drink, have a chat and discover a few stories along the way.
Everything you'll find has been chosen with care, and many of the products have a story that reaches far beyond the shelf they're sitting on.
Sip & ShopSaturday 24 October 2026 | 10am–3pmSandgate Deli, 88A Sandgate High Street, Sandgate, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Come and shop thoughtfully, celebrate colourfully and discover a little more about the people, places and traditions behind the things we bring into our homes.
I'd love to see you there.
With love, Sara x
Comments