The Honesty Shop
An exercise in community trust
In March, Erik and I flew to Ireland for a long weekend. It’s only about an hour flight from Munich—the perfect Easter escape. On this shorter trip, we opted to skip Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, instead heading south from Dublin to County Wicklow, the pastoral countryside.
We were shooting a campaign for my brand, so naturally I wanted our accommodation to be perfect (let’s be real, I always want our accommodation to be perfect). I was thrilled when I stumbled upon Cara’s gorgeous cottages on AirBnb.
We pulled up late afternoon after a hair-raising drive down on the wrong side of the road (a test to my less-than-one-year-old marriage). Frazzled, sweaty, and carsick, we were greeted by our lovely host Cara.
One thing about me is I love people, but I hate feeling like I’m imposing on people. I’m a contactless check-in kinda gal, so I always get a bit queasy when the host insists on meeting you at your AirBnb.
But Cara was all boots and windswept hair and smiles, the kind of person who is so casually inspiring it leaves you dizzy (although now that I think about it, that might’ve been the carsickness).
She showed us around the property, a meandering lot tucked between sheep fields and dotted with stone cottages, a chicken coop, a trampoline, and an honesty shop. She’d prepared fresh organic scones with homemade jam and grass-fed butter for us, and, waving casually towards the honesty shop, mentioned that we’d be able to find anything else we wanted in there.
Here’s another thing about me: There are few words that tickle my brain quite like “honesty” and “shop.” Alone, they’re fine, but coupled together they represent all the things I love: community, trust, respect, art, creativity, and inspiration.
My first experience with an honesty shop was at Kitoki Inn on Bowen Island, a magical Japanese-inspired hotel and—without a doubt—the most peaceful place I’ve ever stayed.
Living in Germany, we’ve come to rely on honesty farm shops on Sundays, when all the grocery stores are closed and we’re heading back from the mountains sunburnt and hungry, needing something nourishing for dinner.
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen an honesty shop in the US (seems telling, no?), but I’m sure there are many tucked into little corners of our vast country.
Cara’s honesty shop took the cake: It was small, maybe only 10x10ft, a little wooden hut with overflowing shelves. The fridge was stocked with local milk, butter, homemade jam, yogurt, granola, and natural wine. Wax paper parcels of Irish cheddar and herby goat cheese, along with piles of fresh eggs lined the bottom shelf.
The pantry held tinned fish, crackers, organic baby wipes, goat’s milk soap and shampoo. Artisanal jewelry, ceramics, and art filled the rest. In the corner a small sign read “we accept revolut or cash, please text me if you need change” with a QR code and a glorified piggy bank.
Needless to say, I spent the best €60 of my life in that shop.
Here’s the magic of an honesty shop: it’s an exercise in community trust. In an age when third places are scarce, neighborliness is hard to come by, and grocery stores are tragically commercial, the humble honesty shop represents resistance. Even though there’s no certainty that you’ll get paid, your goods won’t be stolen, and your shop won’t be vandalized, people all over the world are choosing to give their community the gift of accessibility without any of the gratification. It’s an intimate and generous gesture, and on principle alone, I love them.
One of my many life goals is to have an honesty shop of my own, but because I’m not there quite yet, I’ll settle for imagining one, sharing all the goodies with you.
One last thing about me, in case you couldn’t tell: I’m artisanal bougie. Not the kind of bougie that needs (or even wants) a stay at The Ritz, the kind that wants small-batch coffee, thick, handwoven towels, $50 hand soap made on a tiny island, and a 100% wool sweater. Is this entirely realistic for an honesty shop? No. But a girl can dream:
The Pantry
The Wash Room
The Closet
The Kitchenette
What would be in your honesty shop?
Xx,
Serena
PS: In case you missed it, I recently launched my home textile brand, Salvē. Take a look and if you love it, feel free to share it around. You can reach me with questions or feedback at serena@salveofficial.com. Your support means the world.
Excellent piece Serena, inspirational, truthful, unexpected. Thank you! 🙏🏻