More good coverage for Fair Trade in Springfield

Global Fayre got coverage in the last edition of the Springfield Business Journal; this time it’s the turn of Karen at Anna Sophia’s.

At this rate, this Fair Trade thing might actually catch on here!

For more information on Fair Trade in general, and Global Fayre in particular, go here.

Musical instruments from Jamtown – now at Global Fayre

We’ve made several references to the Fair Trade Federation Conference we went to in Portland, OR earlier this year.

One of the members that we met for the first time was John, from Jamtown. John makes a great contribution to the work of the Fair Trade movement in the USA; drums have been always been a key way for people to connect, and we used that to great effect during World Fair Trade Day when many groups held drumming events to celebrate the day.

Here’s what John says about Jamtown:

JAMTOWN is a musical place that’s not on any map. It’s a place you visit when you play live rhythm with your friends; a subtle reminder of the common bond shared by all people. And it’s as accessible today as it was thousands of years ago.

This is my tenth year in business after leaving the corporate world! Basically, I am an adventure traveller choosing to work directly with producer groups, and these are usually extended families. The goal is to sustain long-term trading relationships to create economic stability. With your help, we provide critical support to these low-income families through fair wages in the local context and other valuable assistance. Most that I have met convey a love for their work and a gentle approach to life. It is a big reasons I do what I do. I gain critical perspective on my own culture by visiting theirs.

As a Fair trade Federation Member, we support artisans with fair wages and more!

We took our first delivery from Jamtown this week; we’re really excited about stocking their products and will ramp up the selection later in the year.

Here’s a selection of what we’ve got so far:

Turtle Frame Drum, made in Indonesia. Looks cute, sounds better than cute!

Kente Cloth Talking Drum, from Ghana. We’ve had these before, but not of this quality. Squeeze the strings to get a tonal talking range.

Ocarina Necklaces from Peru – animal and traditional.

Just awesome! Molded clay painted by hand. Play almost a full scale using 6 holes. Includes a fingering chart.

Trashy Bags from Global Mamas arrive at Global Fayre

The clothing and other items we get from Global Mamas is usually beautiful, and their range is a hit with our customers, but our latest delivery from them this week was just trash.

Literally.

Here’s the story behind this really cool range:

“One of the biggest problems in Ghana is trash and pollution. If there were a main product that wholly symbolizes this issue, it would be drink sachets. Drink sachets are the most popular item to buy on the street and highway, and due to this fact, they also account for the majority of litter on the ground. This plastic material is chosen because it is easily accessible and hygienic, but it is far from being bio-degradable, and therefore, takes quite a toll when it is not disposed of properly. However, Trashy Bags has decided to take advantage of this durable material by using these discarded sachets to create purses, wallets, briefcases, etc. Items such as these have a much longer and useful life span than their sachet counterparts with which they are made of.
The main goals of Trashy Bags are not just fulfilling its popular purpose of “cleaning up Ghana,” but also to inform the public about the issue with drink sachets. Every customer, contributor, employee, and business partner of Trashy Bags is educated about this problem in Ghana, what the organization is doing to counteract it, and how a single purchase can greatly contribute to these objectives.”

You can check out the whole range of trash in our online store or better still come and see it in person at our store in downtown Springfield, MO.

Handbags of Hope from the Philippines

At one point the Philippines had the dubious honor of having the world’s largest garbage dump, known as Manila’s Smokey Mountain. People with no other choice in life found themselves scavenging for recyclable bottles from the dump to make ends meet. As Smokey Mountain became an infamous symbol of Asian poverty, the President of the Philippines provided seed funding for microfinance loans to over 2,000 women in two years. The local Catholic parish overseeing the loans created a cooperative to produce beautiful hand-crafted goods. What they produce are more than just handbags. They are unique, earth-loving pieces of artwork. And they represent hope for women building better lives for their families.

We just ordered a new shipment of these beautiful bags; they are available now in our downtown store and online as well.

Fair Trade garden pots

We still have a few Fair Trade garden pots, and they would look MUCH MUCH better in your yard or garden than they do in our store – plus we really really need to free up the space!

All garden pots are 25% off!

Ashley Berry at Park Central Library, Springfield MO

A few months ago we hosted an exhibition of work by Ashley Berry (see Shades of Black by Ashley Berry).

We’re pleased to see Ashley has another exhibition starting this Friday at Park Central Library in Downtown Springfield.

Ashley is giving a talk TONIGHT at the Library, starting at 7pm, giving an insight in to her motivation, inspiration and influences.

First Friday Art Walk in Springfield, MO

Just two days to go before our First Friday Art Walk – we’re excited!

In truth, the summer Art Walks are a little quiter; fewer galleries take part (this month has 20 compared to our spring peak of 28) and the crowds are little smaller. That doesn’t stop the participating galleries pulling out all the stops, and the art walkers having a ball.

You can check out what’s in store this Friday by reading the First Friday Art Walk newsletter or visiting the main blog.

Global Fayre Newsletter

Our latest newsletter has just gone out.

If you are not signed up but want to be, just click here.

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016ynqZbqgszGTlWRkqkvaxg%3D%3D

A conversation with David Crump

We’ve appreciated the coverage that our local media has given Global Fayre and Fair Trade ever since we started at the C-Street Farmers market two years ago.

The Springfield Business Journal published an interview with David this week….

http://sbj.net/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=85012&SectionID=48&SubSectionID=108&S=1

James Radke photographs now available in Global Fayre online store

Our decision to open Global Fayre in the downtown district of Springfield was partially driven by our desire to be a part of the downtown ’scene’ perhaps best embodied by the ever-growing First Friday Art Walk. Fair Trade carries with it a strong sense of community, and for us that means the local community just as much as the communities around the world that are home to the many artisans and producers that make the beautiful items you can see in our store.

Our support of artisans in the Springfield community has until now contained itself to profiling a local artist whenever we get the chance, plus inviting local musicians to play for First Friday. Now we’ve extended that support to our online store, where we’ve just added some great work from a local photographer, James Radke. You can check out his blog here.

Here’s James bio:

Photographer James Radke has put down roots in many areas across the United States. He has lived on both sides of the Rockies in Colorado to the shores of the Carolina coast. He lived in the Ozarks during the seventies and moved towards the northern California coast in the mid eighties and finally returned the Ozarks in 2003.

James’s photographs have been exhibited from Tokyo to Mannheim and San Francisco to Daytona Beach.

James’s work should categorized as Fine-Art Reportage or photo journalism. When looking at these photographs you are looking at Springfield and the Ozarks through his eyes. The images are simply the visual memories and the personal discoveries seen through Jim’s eyes.

And here are some of his images: