Huang’s biking (she now lives close to the Lishui Street store), abhorrence of waste and love of secondhand goods is right in line with the current emphasis on “green” living. But Huang rejects calling her stores huanbao (環保), or environmentally friendly. She prefers “LOHAS,” the acronym for “lifestyles of health and sustainability.”
“LOHAS implies a way of life,” says Huang. “I wanted to create a space where people could make friends and swap their old things out for new — to them — items.”
“It’s not just about saving money or the planet,” she adds. “It’s about having fun. When you buy something at a department store, you spend a lot of money, but you don’t have that element of surprise.”
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