The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe Philosophy

My name is Pam Marshall.  I am the creator and proprietor of The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe.  The 'The Shoppe' was originally established in 1990 -beginning as an Adelaide retail outlet to progress through various phases of development to eventually become a home-based mail order enterprise.  In 1997 it ceased operation, due to my ill-health. Since the beginning of 1999, I have began re-establishing by re-building its resources and client network.

The establishment of The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe came about as a result of my concern for the plight of the planet and subsequent degradation of the environment. The cause, I believe, is primarily due to 'profits' being put before 'survival'. In our society an unfortunate cycle of consumer dependency has developed. It is based upon the retailer's desire for 'money' and the customer’s desire for 'saving money', a so-called 'better life' and 'convenience'. The three have fuelled a blind cycle that has little consideration for the environment or the future of human survival or anything else. The time has come to step out of this cycle and question how we are all going to survive into the next era when the very basis for that survival is practically depleted!

In this light, I have created a specific purpose behind The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe:

1. To promote the virtues of self-sufficiency by encouraging people to become more self-reliant and resourceful and therefore, less dependent upon 'consumerism' (mass production, commercialism and profits). Not only does this new found independence promote a more natural and healthy lifestyle but also helps uncover more economical ways for living.
2. To encourage environmental awareness in day-to-day living, including incorporating recycling. All for the sake of our precious planet.
3. To rekindle basic survival skills - many of which have been lost amid the 'rush' for progress - and restore a sense of security and control over our lives and financial circumstances.
4. The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe does not believe in or promote self-motivated profit-making, but hopes instead to change people's attitudes, develop environmental responsibility and bring back what has been lost through 'consumerism and commercialism'. I hope, in the long term, The Shoppe will contribute to re-establishing planetary balance and aid ALL humans. My belief is: What's the point of individual acquisition of wealth when the very basis for human survival - the planet – is rapidly deteriorating? .
5. The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe products are based upon four simple principles:
   The products are not like commercial items. They are simple, practical and straightforward - and not aimed at long term profit gain.
6. Products are environmentally responsible. Packaging and presentation is kept to a minimum. Recycling is encouraged and practised.
7. Typical advertising and consumer 'tactics' are avoided where the customer is manipulated through clever and powerful advertising to 'spend, spend and spend'!
8. Responsibility and loyalty to our customers is foremost and we ask that in return they contribute to The Shoppe by practising its environmental principles of responsibility and awareness.

I welcome you to The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe, and hope that through The Shoppe I am able to bring you the fulfillment and satisfaction 'self-sufficiency' has brought to my life.

Pam Marshall
Proprietor,The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe

The Development of The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe

I was born and raised in country South Australia. After leaving school I went to the ‘big city’ (Adelaide) to pursue a career.  I first trained and worked as a nurse then ventured into the psychiatric field – in which remained for 10 years.  But something yearned inside me for a more ‘earth-connected’ and self-sustained ‘occupation’. So in 1986 I ceased full-time work and pursued a (less reliable) ‘career’ as a writer of topics related to self-sufficiency and environmental responsibility (but continued to work part-time to help sustain myself).  To date I have researched and published, through ‘The Shoppe’ nearly 100 publications. I am an avid writer and in particular love researching and discovering new alternatives to commercial products – so I have many more titles I hope to put together as time progresses!

It was in 1989 that I came across the idea of a ‘self-sufficiency shop’ based upon the ‘back-to-basics’ and self-sufficiency concepts of my writings. In 1990 I established The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe as an Adelaide retail outlet. Due to necessity it eventually evolved into a home-based mail order enterprise. In 1997 at quite a young age I suffered a heart attack – it was a starting point of a period of great change for me (although I wasn’t aware of that at the time). As a result ‘The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe’ ceased operation. Then life took a bit of a down-turn - besides loosing my precious ‘Shoppe’ and all the subsequent hard work getting it to its current level, I separated from my long term partner and endured a couple of years of depression and emotional turmoil. I eventually got back on top of things and since 2000 I have been slowly rebuilding The Shoppe’s resources and client network.   About three years ago I was invited by the local Community Centre to run workshops along the theme of my Back-to-Basics writings. To my surprise the workshops very quickly became quite popular –  my time is now taken up with a busy schedule of workshops at various venues around Adelaide and country South Australia.  I also do a bit of catering at various places – cooking and presenting food according to my philosophy of ‘healthy, chemical & preservative free’ is best according to the simple skills of times past. Plus I continue to sell my publications and a few products via mail order.

It has been a surprisingly long and arduous journey of not only hard work, disappointment and fulfilment – but of self-realisation - while pursuing a dream of having a shop based upon self-sufficiency and getting back-to-basics for the betterment of the planet. And I consider that the full potential of what The Shoppe could achieve has not yet been realised. Hopefully, in time to come, it will be re-established as a retail outlet and sell a range of equipment, products, publications etc. that fit within the theme of self-sufficiency, getting back-to-basics and respecting our environment. 

At present I live alone (with a menagerie of animals) in suburban Adelaide on a typical quarter acre block – although my long-term goal is to move back to my origins: ‘the bush’ one day. One room of the house is considered ‘the office’ where The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe ideas and publications are created and worked upon. I have developed my little house with its big backyard into my very own self-sufficient ‘creation’.  Its not ‘perfect’ but has lots of Australian natives and practical herbs and plants, a quiet spiritual retreat in the corner, an all important rain water tank, a vegetable garden (of course) and fruit trees. I do not use chemicals in or on the garden and ‘compost, recycle and reuse’ where-ever and when-ever I can. My happiest moments are those spent quietly in the garden – just absorbing Mother Nature around me (even though it is right in the middle of suburbia!) and looking after the many stray cats that come my way. I have this incredible soft spot for anything lost, abandoned, unloved and lonely!

It is from this place that I write, type, create and run The Self-Sufficiency Shoppe!

 

 

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