www.World-Shoppe.com featured in Cottage Living!

Check out http://www.world-shoppe.com/ in the last page of Cottage Living's holiday issue on Gifts that Give Back! Our Pistachio Green Baby Tagine Salt & Pepper Sets make an appearance and as we suspected, they are already selling quickly! We have plenty in stock but if you've been eyeing this bold and colorful set for yourself of friends for the holidays, I'd recommend acting sooner than later to place your order!

Also, on the NEW Web site front, I'm thrilled to say that we're so on target for an early November launch. I seriously can't wait. One of our categories (Personal Accessories) is being uploaded this week. Our "non-product" pages (such as our About Us, Press Page, FAQ, etc) have all been uploaded and look awesome. We still have to add in some of our images and proofread everything but I have to say, it's looking really great! Our Web designer is a true rock star. Not only does she understand Web design, but she understands fair trade - which is absolutely wonderful!

In any event, we'll be sending out our next e-newsletter this week so please be on the lookout for it. We've also been having several people forward on the email newsletter to friends and family - feel free to do so! The more supporters we have, the better for our artisan partners!

Thank you again for your amazing support. I hope you're enjoying this experience as much as I am!

Until next time,

-Megy Karydes, Founder

http://www.world-shoppe.com/

October is Fair Trade Month

This month we celebrate Fair Trade Month. Although it's wonderful to have a month dedicated to fair trade, fair trade shouldn't be something that we only think about during one month - just like breast cancer, which also celebrates its "month" during October.

Fair trade is a real way to make a difference - something very tangible. Although the model isn't quite that simple, we often make it more complicated than it needs to be. At its very basic, artisans in a developing country (heck, even in our own "rich" country), artisans make products that help feed their families. We purchase their products and continue to support them by continuing to purchase more of their products so their work doesn't "dry up" and they are left where they started. We then make their beautiful products available to you. At its most basic form, that's how fair trade works. It's really a poverty reduction method since the basis of the marketplace exists to reduce poverty in developing countries.

But here is where is gets more complicated - do we really "need" another basket? Some argue that we're just creating more "stuff" when we don't really need it.

Okay, back to our question...do we need another basket? Maybe not...but if we were going to buy a basket, why not make it one that you know someone was paid a fair wage for, a child didn't make it in a factory, and the way it was made didn't affect the earth? Most of us do give gifts for birthdays, weddings, graduations, you get the picture. Why not buy a gift that is fairly traded?

So this month, why not consider a gift for someone (or for yourself) that is fairly traded? And while you're at it, encourage someone to schedule that mammogram, too.

-Megy Karydes, Founder
www.World-Shoppe.com