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Black Market Boutique a popular downtown destination – Metro US

Black Market Boutique a popular downtown destination

If jewelry, clothing and dream catchers are on your shopping list, head to the Black Market Boutique and cross them all off.

Located on Grafton Street just a few steps away from Pizza Corner, the Black Market is known for its great prices and for being “filled to the brim” with products, says manager Lauren Parsons.

“We just have a lot of inexpensive stuff,” she says. “You can get a lot from here for little.”

Parsons explains there is no middleman, so these savings are passed on to the customer. The shop owners go to Asia every year for buying trips and visit countries such as Thailand, Nepal and India. Sometimes, the buying trips include a visit to South America.

Parsons will be heading on her sixth buying trip in January.

She says these trips allow them to better understand who they are getting the product from.

“It’s cool to get to know the people and come back every year,” she says. “Plus, it’s great to shop.”

Inside the shop, world music handpicked by the staff plays as a pleasant aroma drifts through the air. One of the things The Black Market is known for is its selection of incense.

“It’s a staple here,” says Parsons. There are about 50 types available, including vanilla and coconut.

Asked if that makes it the shop with the most incense in Halifax, Parsons is unsure.

“I have never contemplated that question,” she says, but she figures they probably are.

The shop is popular with people of all ages, but especially students. One of those students is Morgan Abrams.

“I love it here,” says the 20-year-old. “I love the atmosphere. It’s very relaxed.”

Abrams says she comes to the store once a week to check things out and “gravitates towards whatever catches her eye.”

The shop is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year and marked the occasion last Saturday with the day’s sales being donated to Feed Nova Scotia, the Ecology Action Centre, Act of Living and The Themba Project.

The shop also had a day last year where it celebrated its 20th anniversary by donating the day’s sales to different causes.

“We’re trying to keep that as a tradition,” says Parsons.