We've MOVED TO WORDPRESS - find us there at shopfairtrade.wordpress.com

To allow us more opportunities to interact with our customers and fair trade supporters, we're moving our blog to a WordPress site.

Happily, we were able to move over all of our blog posts from Blogger so we won't skip a beat!

Please find us there at http://shopfairtrade.wordpress.com - where we will be posting regularly on fair trade and handmade topics whether it's musings from our home base of Chicago, on the road visiting our retail partners, at fair trade conferences, or internationally visiting our artisans in South Africa or Pakistan.

Thank you for your continued support. We know we couldn't do this without you!

Here's to a wonderful 2011 - and see you at our new blog or World Shoppe!

The Power of a Greeting Card

Since I was little, I was taught to send handwritten cards whether it was to thank those who gave us gifts during birthdays, for special occasions, or to follow up on a conversation that warranted a handwritten card.

Handwritten notes are somewhat of an anomaly these days with all of the technology available to us as well as lack of time. Unless you're in the business of shipping things out, I truly wonder how many Americans visit their nearest Postal Office to purchase stamps (since many choose to bank and pay bills electronically, too).

Which is precisely WHY the greeting card is so powerful. Since people rarely send one out anymore, it stands out from the crowd of bills, direct mail solicitation, and sale offers in our mailbox.

If you read my last post, you would have known that my grandfather was very ill. While we were able to get him out of the hospital that time, he returned two weeks later and passed away shortly thereafter. It was a difficult time for our family because we were very close to him. The other day, in my mailbox, I found a card waiting for me (in the sea of bills and magazines). 

Everything was set aside and I opened the card - it was a handmade card with just two flowers in bloom. One has four tiny clear sparkly beads in the center. It was sent by one of my reps (who, ironically, reps our Little Works line of greeting cards from South Africa). It's a special card for me in many ways. This rep knew of my grandfather's struggle and knew how close I was to him. He and his wife took the time to find a card that would be appropriate, wrote a kind note inside, and sent it to me. It brought me to tears and now the card sits prominently on my desk where I can look at it and remember my grandfather. I've chosen to think that the two flowers represent me and my grandfather - with my grandfather being the one in the background, watching over me.

And, therein lies the power of a greeting card - like a photo that can be worth a thousand words, receiving a card speaks volumes. Whether you are sending one to thank an interviewer for the job interview, to celebrate a birthday, wedding, baptism, anniversary, as a sympathy card or a "just thinking of you" note, a handwritten greeting card is something you know will be opened and, hopefully, appreciated.

Our Little Works line of greeting cards are special in many ways, too. In addition to them being just beautiful visually, they are fairly traded and handmade by women in South Africa. Our options include general designs, birthday, thinking of you, cards for children's occasions, celebrations and sympathy cards. Some our cards feature bookmarks as part of the designs, making them lovely gifts to keep and remember the thoughtful card, too. 

If you'd like to see a portion of our selection, please visit www.World-Shoppe.com (click under NEW! Little Works Greeting Cards). You can also find our cards at many independent stores, bookshops, cooperative grocery shops and gifts stores throughout the United States. 

Consider sending a card today - and make someone smile. :-)

-Megy Karydes, Founder

World Shoppe

www.World-Shoppe.com

Honoring Those Who Came Before Us ... and making them proud

As I write this, I'm sitting in a hospital waiting room, outisde of the ICU. My grandfather is inside ICU and although my family and I have spent many days, and sometimes weeks, in this hospital and others near here, this time it seems much worse than before. I'm not sure if we'll be taking my grandfather home with us this time - but we're hoping for the best.

I'm writing this not as a eulogy to my grandfather, but to honor his life and what he's taught me. I am his eldest granddaughter so I know I have a special place in his heart (or maybe I'm making this up?). He holds a special place in my heart, too, because he's taught me about resilience, honor, hard work, having a strong work ethic, and treating people with respect and dignity.

My grandfather came to the U.S. as a refugee, just as my parents did, so he speaks from experience when he says a strong work ethic is important. He's raised 5 daughters and he means so much to his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Many people throughout the world don't have the opportunity to be with their loved ones when they pass away. While I don't know if this is my grandfather's time, I'm grateful to be here with him and try to keep his as comfortable as possible.

I hope we turn the tide and we see happier days ahead. Please keep our family in your thoughts.

Best,

-Megy

Fair Trade Futures Conference just hours away!

In fewer than 48 hours, I'll be on an airplane headed toward Boston for the Fair Trade Futures Conference and very much looking forward to it! 

Fair Trade Futures Conference, Boston, Sept 10-12, 2010

While the Fair Trade Federation organizes a conference annually, the Fair Trade Futures conference is scheduled every five years and attracts over 700 fair trade supporters, importers, retailers, students, and activists. It's a great opportunity to interact with fellow fair trade supporters all over the country, but all over the world as well since many come in from outside of the United States and Canada to learn more about what is happening in the movement nationally and internationally.

Also, Chicago looks like it's going to have a rather large contingency, which is very exciting! Chicago Fair Trade will be there in full force! 

I've made it to most of the conferences since World Shoppe launched almost 7 years ago (I've missed some because of work schedules or weddings planned over the same weekend as the conferences.) and I can tell you first-hand that the conferences are top-notch, inspiring and refreshing. Yes, you'll enjoy your typical speakers (I'm actually speaking on Sunday on how to attract media attention to your fair trade work - 10:30 a.m. on Sunday if you're interested in joining me!) but in addition to the speakers, you'll meet others who are in a similar place in the movement, whether new to it, wanting to learn more, just opened a shop, have been managing a shop for decades, just started importing or importing for several years, etc. You'll also be able to shop the Fair Trade Marketplace with more than 75 companies and organizations showing their products to the general public and retailers interested in stocking new fair trade products in their shops.

If you're attending the conference, please let me know - it would be great to see you! I'll be at the Marketplace, too, so stop by and say hello. 

Here's to a successful Conference! See you soon!

-Megy Karydes, Founder

World Shoppe

www.World-Shoppe.com

It's official - we're developing a catalog based on retailer feedback

While we've only been wholesaling our fair trade and handmade collections for less than a year now, it's become obvious that retailers LOVE their printed catalog. This is the case of listening to your customers and responding to their needs.

As a buyer myself, I have to admit that I liked both options - reviewing the catalog and offerings of fair trade products online. While I reviewed the items in the catalog, I ultimately placed my orders online because it was easier and more efficient for me. When I spoke to retailers prior to importing, I learned that they LOVED seeing the products online and ordering...so we spent a lot of time on our Web site and making it easy, efficient, and have the ability to place orders online. Retailers have responded that they loved the ease of ordering online and several have already sent their orders in this fashion.

However, there is no escaping it that retailers still love to look at products in print. They carry catalogs with them at home, reviewing options late at night at the kitchen table. Unlike some jobs, retailers, I've learned, are always working. And convenience plays a key role in deciding with whom to do business.

So, we're listening and responding, because, ultimately, we're in this together. And we share the same goals - to provide more work for our artisan partners and introduce more Americans to the beauty of fair trade products.

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement and feedback. It really is an honor to do this type of work. I can't wait to show you all our new printed catalog!

With warmest regards,

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

Launch Party for Pakistan Line of Fair Trade Jewelry

Amna working in her studio in Lahore, Pakistan

Before I even met Amna Shariff, I was drawn to her work. When I had the opportunity to visit Pakistan this summer, more than a few people thought I was crazy to travel to the country voluntarily. But what cemented my decision to go was what I had learned and read about the country's craft culture. While most of the news we hear revolves around conflict, I saw women trying to keep their culture and handmade techniques alive and working to make their world a better place in which to live.

Birds of Flight Earrings

I asked Amna to send me some of her designs prior to me traveling to Pakistan because from the little I was able to see, I could tell there was something there. She obliged and I was smitten. This woman's work was just breathtaking, just as many of the other women's work I had seen once I arrived in Pakistan. 

Kundan Round Petals Necklace

Her design aesthetic, her patience, her commitment was remarkable and inspiring. But having the opportunity to meet her in person, in her homeland, made our work together that much more special because it not only allows me to put a face with a name, but to see firsthand how she lives, what she's surrounded by on a daily basis and realize how proud she is to be a Pakistani woman. That just can't be done just through technology alone.


Within minutes of meeting each other, I knew I was going to work with Amna. We put together a small collection and armed with my samples, I came back to Chicago, eager to show my retailers the designs and share my story with Amna. As I had hoped, they, too, loved the designs and placed orders.


When I learned Amna was able to secure a visa to visit the U.S., I began working feverishly to organize her launch party. Greenheart, one of my largest retailer accounts, offered to host the event in their shop. We secured the date, August 26, and I can't wait. Chicagoland residents will have the opportunity to meet Amna in person, talk to her about life in Pakistan, her inspiration behind her work, and working with an American woman who will be working tirelessly to promote her work in the U.S. It should make for a fun evening.


If you're in the Chicagoland area, I hope you'll join us. Details can be found below. You can also watch Amna and me tomorrow (Saturday, August 21) as we appear live on-air on ABC7 News Chicago (6:15 a.m.).


Thank you for your commitment to fair trade - and hope to see you soon!


August 26
5:00 - 8:00 pm
Greenheart Shop
1911 W. Division Street


-Megy Karydes, Founder
World Shoppe
(to see Amna's designs, visit our Facebook page - www.Facebook.com/worldshoppe)

 

Pakistan Visit

Later this month I'll be traveling to Pakistan to visit with women artisans. To say I'm excited (and nervous) would be an understatement.

I'm excited to be able to meet with the women and learn more about their work. Then again, Pakistan is under high security alert and the U.S. Government does not recommend traveling there unless necessary. While I am concerned about my safety, I can't help but think about the safety of the people who live in the country on a daily basis. I'll only be there for days. What if I lived there? What if this was my daily reality? That frightens me even more.

One of the things that strikes me even more is the Pakistani government's ban of social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook. As of last Wednesday, The Ministry of Information Technology in Pakistan lifted the ban on YouTube (the reason it blocked it in the first place is because it contained blasphemous content, according to government officials). Facebook is still banned as of today. Without access to sites like Facebook, I will be restricted on what information I can share while I'm there.

My hope is that my trip will allow me to work with more women and share their stories and beautiful handmade products with our customers. I can't wait to share with you what I learn.

Thank you for being part of this journey and supporting our artisans. It means the world to all of us.

Peace,

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