Despite the gloom and doom surrounding the economy and retail sales overall, I'm delightedto share that because of loyal and new customers who choose to support those less fortunate through their purchasing power that www.World-Shoppe.com had it best year ever. Not only did sales exceed our expectations, but we were able to continue employment for thousands of artisans all over the world because they need to work to survive.
Am I blind to the fact that our fellow Americans are losing their jobs, too and need work to survive here are well? No, that fact hasn't been lost on me. I have friends and family who have been affected. There is so much to do. But, what I can say is that when I launched www.World-Shoppe.com, my goal was to help empower women in developing countries build their voice by giving them the power to earn income for their talents and work.
Several friends and well-meaning (and some not so well-meaning) individuals have asked why I haven't changed my business plan to help support local artisans (rather than those across oceans) or encourage more local buying (as opposed to buying in other countries). The whole "shop local" movement has taken this country by storm and the whole "green" world has put a new spin on importing from developing countries.
Here is what I say - it's all good. Really. It is.
- Shop local. We need to support our local indie shops and farmers. We need strong and healthy economies that can support our arts and our artists.
- Do your part to help the environment. Think about your purchases. Can you recycle your products or compost your trash? Can you give your clothes to a local non-profit who can sell them and support their programs? Change your lightbulbs to friendlier choices and grab that tote bag and don't ask for paper or plastic when you go shopping again.
- Support fair trade whenever you can. First of all, let's be clear - fair trade isn't just about supporting artistans across oceans and continents - it's about people. People, for circumstances often out of their control, are living in poverty or in conditions you and I will never see or ever wish on anyone. It's about people working in dignity and being paid a fair wage for the work they do. To care for their families and their children who depend and love them unconditionally. To contribute to their communities and their schools and their health clinics. Fair trade is not about a product. At it's core - it's about people like you and me who deserve to live in a world that treats them with respect.
Does it have to be one way or the other? I'd love to think that I can live in a world that cares about our neighbor whether she or he shares my zip code, or my earth. That's the kind of world I want to raise my children and I hope you'll agree and join me.
Thank you so much for your support of fair trade. It is my goal to bring you even more stories about our artisans and their work in the coming months...thank you for joining me in this journey!
-Megy Karydes, Founder
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