Our story

More than fifteen years ago, Tenzin came to Switzerland as a refugee. With nothing but what one carries in the heart. Switzerland took him in, and he has much to be grateful for. But Tibet he never let go. The language, the prayers, the objects, the scents, the stillness. It was always there.

After arriving in Switzerland, Tenzin quickly noticed that Tibetan pieces could be found, but were rarely presented with the depth they deserve. No story behind them. No origin. No craft. Just objects on a shelf. That never left him.

In 2019, that feeling became a decision. Tenzin founded tibet-markets.ch, initially as a small online shop, built in the evenings, with great heart and without high expectations. The response overwhelmed him. People from across Switzerland wrote to say they had been looking for exactly this: pieces with origin, with craft, with meaning. Pieces with a story behind them.

In the years that followed, tibet-markets.ch grew steadily. Every new piece carefully chosen, every new collection built with intention. What began as a side project became a full vocation.

Then came 2024 and with it a special joy. Boutique Shangrila at Niederdorfstrasse 39 in Zurich, founded by a Tibetan woman with the same heart, was looking for someone to carry it forward with care. Since 1993 she had brought Tibetan culture to the Zurich old town, three decades of devoted work. As she turned to her well-earned retirement, Tenzin was honoured to carry this legacy forward. With respect, with joy and with the same heart.

Today tibet-markets.ch is both: an online shop that serves all of Switzerland, and a physical meeting place in the heart of Zurich with a history reaching back to 1993. Two stories that have become one, that of Boutique Shangrila and that of Tenzin.

What drives us on this path and what we believe in, you will find on our values page.