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A few weeks before Christmas in 1997, Anne and John Newton, members of the local Baptist Church, opened one of the vacant shops in Swaythling for the sale of fairly traded gifts and cards.
The shop was opened again, staffed by volunteers, for the same period in the next two years.
From that small beginning, great things have grown.
When John had an accident, he and Anne were not able to continue, and Elaine and Clem Mason, Baptists from Shirley took on the project, and the shop moved to another empty shop in Shirley.
The popularity of Fairtrade goods grew steadily, and in 2004, it was decided to open a shop full time, on Shirley High Street, with extended stock including food and clothes as well as gifts.
The shop supplied many church stalls and school events with goods for sale.
Anne, Clem and Elaine were joined by Amna Bartholomew and a host of volunteers, and trade continued to flourish.
Southampton was designated as a Fairtrade City in 2004, and many supermarkets began to stock fairly traded goods.
The success of the shop has been a huge co-operative effort, and many people have been made aware of the importance of making sure that producers are paid a fair wage for their work.
For various reasons, the managers have reluctantly decided that towards the end of September the Fairtrade Shop in Shirley will cease trading, and the enterprise will relocate to 67B Cranbury Road Eastleigh.
For more details and information about opening hours contact Sue Hunt on 079 6748 0063.
There will still be opportunities locally, for Anne Newton intends to continue to stock a limited range of goods at her home, and is prepared to order items from the Fairtrade catalogues.