Shakti  “is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as ‘The Great Divine Mother’ in Hinduism. In her avatar as Akshara Mandhapati, her power is her uncontrollable energy. On the earthly plane, Shakti most actively manifests through female embodiment and creativity/fertility, though it is also present in males in its potential, unmanifest form. Hindus believe that Shakti is both responsible for creation and the agent of all change.”

-Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Welcome to one of the most beautiful looking and feeling stores in the city of Winnipeg!  Shakti is one of my favourite places to shop.  It is absolutely jam packed with treasures from all over the globe, and is positively brimming with light and colour and inspiration!  The store’s owner and staff are warm, approachable, and exceptionally helpful and knowledgable about their products. I always look forward to my visits there! If you are from Winnipeg and you haven’t shopped here, you absolutely should!  I also highly recommend it to out-of-towners.  It is a perfect place to pick out a meaningful gift to bring home to a loved one, and it is conveniently located in Osborne Village which is a hotspot of shops, restaurants, coffee shops and bars in Winnipeg. Definitely a place to see and be seen while visiting!  Also, good news for everyone not from Winnipeg.  Shakti has an on-line SHOP they are currently developing, where many of their gorgeous treasures are available for sale.

Shakti is a boutique shop which carries beads, clothing, home accessories, jewelry, and jewelry making supplies. They even offer jewelry making workshops to help get you started on your own creative projects.  Their goods are sourced from various countries around the world. They prefer to buy directly from the artisans, individuals or families that make the beautiful items, and they try to use suppliers who are committed to fair trade.  These are just some of the reasons it makes you feel good to shop here!

So, why do we choose to become regular patrons of some stores/brands, but not others?  What do the stores/brands where we regularly spend our time and money say about us? I think it is a question worth asking ourselves, because it is one of the concrete ways in which we determine what types of goods are available to us in the future. Every time we spend money, we are voting with our dollars.  We are saying “I like this, and I want more of it!” We are determining what our future shopping experience will look like. Where we shop can say a lot about what we value.  The fact that I am a regular at a store that sells items from all over the globe says something about me.  It also says something that I am infinitely more supportive of Shakti  because the store’s owner travels annually herself across the globe to meet face to face with artisans and hand-pick most of the products that are later for sale in her store.  Not to mention how appealing it is to me that Shakti is clearly promoting creativity.  Endless rows of beads and jewelry making supplies call out to you and remind you that, not only do we need clothing and housewares (which are also available there), but we need to make things and be creative too.  Creativity is an essential part of life.  The same can be said for the stones and crystals, singing bowls and smudges.  They tell us that we are spiritual beings as well as physical beings and we need to nurture that part of ourselves as well.  The entire store has a holistic essence.  It is a well rounded experience to shop there and it keeps me coming back again and again.

So, I implore you as a consumer to think about what you want more of in the future?  Who deserves your patronage?  Where will you spend your hard earned dollars?  What stores/brands do you feel really good about?  Shop there!  And do it with a smile because you are a driving force in the world we live in!  You do have a say and, like SHAKTI, you can be responsible for creation and an agent of change.

 

Photography By: Michael Sanders, Electric Monk Media

Styling, Modelling, Makeup, Hair and Artistic Direction: Tara Cole-McCaffrey, Patron of Dreams

Styling and Prop Assistant: Kelsey Purves, Metalsan Jewelry

THANK YOU to Shakti’s owner and staff for all their hands-on help during this photo-shoot.

*All clothing, jewelry, and props shown are from Shakti, located at 194 B Osborne St., Winnipeg, Manitoba.* note: earrings, nose ring and wedding ring are my own.