Founded in January, 2012, Pomelo is a fair trade shop that offers both traditional and contemporary hand-made products. The shop has consistently earned stellar reviews from travelers. It ranks 1st among 55 Gift & Specialty Shops in Myanmar and has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor.
It provides a fair trade marketplace for small Myanmar producers, developing their business and administration skills as well as providing design insight. This enables those communities to support their families and scale up their businesses. The Pomelo team is committed to using local materials and local artisans to produce quality, handmade products with a contemporary twist. Over 45 groups from Yangon, Mandalay, PyinOoLwin and other regions of the country are working with Pomelo. The artisans include people afflicted with HIV, street youths, the mentally and physically disabled and small family businesses fighting poverty.
Pomelo promotes distinctive, 99 per cent handmade products at affordable prices. There are over 2,000 products available and Myanmar’s diverse, rich culture and generations of artistic creativity inspire each and every piece. Products range from lotus root shawls and wall mirrors to tiny items like bracelets, earrings, balms, pouches, notebooks, bags, soap and even kitchenware items like aprons, chopping boards, potholders and placemats. Its best selling items are paper mache crafts, cushion covers, children’s clothes and elephant–shaped silicone cushions.
The flagship store is located next to Monsoon restaurant in Botahtaung. They are open from 9.30 am to 9.30 pm. Recently, Pomelo opened a new store inside Bogyoke Market which can be found in the south-east corner. Give them a visit and pick up some meaningful homewares and gifts that you can be sure are helping those in need.
