8 hours ago, janclaes47 said:

It's called evolution, and I'm sure you buy everything from those mom and pop stores at a higher pricer, rather than from Lazada. Not?

      My Thai partner and I try to buy locally from Mom and Pop shops whenever we can.  Instead of buying blah mass-produced art from big box stores or on-line for our condo projects, we use a local artist we like to make custom, one of a kind art--at about the same price.  He's so talented--anything we can dream up he can paint.  We frame artwork we bring back from our travels using another local shop--also at prices that cost no more than frames from chain stores--but with more control on the size and the look we want.   We use local shops rather than big chain stores whenever we can for wallpapering, window treatments, lighting, renovation work, custom furniture, etc.

     In our current project, we are using a nice, local couple who do rattan furniture to make a custom rattan settee, sized to our dimensions to fit our space perfectly. They are also making custom vanities for two of the bathrooms.  Again, the price will be about the same as a not-so-special, likely particleboard vanity from a big chain store and we'll have something that looks great and makes our condo stand out from the rest.   

On 4/22/2018 at 10:46 AM, janclaes47 said:

It's called evolution, and I'm sure you buy everything from those mom and pop stores at a higher pricer, rather than from Lazada. Not?

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.

Franklin D. Roosevelt