In the cloak room at work today I saw the best tote bag hanging up – It was called ‘Leeds Shiftless When Idle’ and had a great illustration on it of an alternative map of the city. I thought these guys are us guys!
After a little investigation, I’ve found their manifesto on Facebook…
Leeds Shiftless When Idle
A COLLECTION OF PASSIONATE PEOPLE OBSESSED WITH IMPROVING THE CITY
Hello…Thanks for stopping by…We’re a loose collective and co-operative of people that can see beyond the Xerox-like,yawn-inducing ‘city-scape’ that seems to be bullying it’s way throughout the land…We’re the rebel alliance
General information
Let’s face it…This city is in big trouble, it’s fast becoming an identikit any-town that seems happy to judge it’s own success by the sheer horrendous bloat of boring chains and copied shopping ‘experiences’…Many people seem content to hand over their hard-earned cash to perpetuate the status quo but we want to show you that there IS an alternative out here…The alternative being businesses that CARE about their customers and more importantly are motivated by more than just profits…We want to be the best at what we do because believe it or not we’re as passionate and crazy as you guys when it comes to what we offer…We don’t just sell certain things or provide a service because they’re ‘cool’ or we can make a quick buck, neither do we use the smokescreen of being ‘alternative’ in order to get a certain market…We ARE the alternative since we’re fiercely independent and use suppliers, and work with people who reflect the values we subscribe to…We’re geekily obsessed with what we do and are hoping to change the mindset of ‘I don’t care where I buy from as long as it’s cheap’ and aim to show why it can be a two-way thing supporting people like us…As the more of you that use us the better we can become…
They shiftless folk only seem to be on Facebook and Twitter, and I’ve not found much else. Nevertheless, they seem a friendly bunch, so they may be people who could help, or at least put in a good word, with our endeavours.
A little more about Rebecca Brock who drew these maps of Leeds – the top one features on the tote bag I spotted today.
Live Project 