The end of a chapter

The last couple of months have been pretty difficult for Global Fayre (meaning for David and Cheri).

We had realized towards the end of last year that we were struggling to cope with the store itself and all of the other activities that Global Fayre required of us, PLUS raising our two daughters PLUS Cheri being a Doula PLUS David doing his own stuff (what is that exactly?!)

We brought someone in to help at the store (Sophie was a great help and a real asset to the team) but by the time we got to the Spring of 2011 the message had firmly sunk in. We didn’t have the resources (financial, physical and emotional) to make the store work as well as it should or as well as we wanted it to.

So in May we took the decision to close the store itself, but to leave the door open to continue with fair trade talks, outside events at local churches and the online store.

Announcing the closure, and dealing with the customer/friend reaction was truly bitter/sweet. People had some very kind words to say, and we really felt appreciated, but then to feel the process take its own momentum; after all, stores open and close all the time, and we are just one of many. An inventory sale seamlessly turned in to a closing sale, with some very loyal customers getting the “one thing” that they had been wanting for a very long time but could never afford or justify. That was very satisfying to see.

We weren’t prepared for how emotionally draining the last two weeks would be; we lost count of the number of times we had “that” conversation about why we were closing, how we would be missed etc etc. Of course, person #200 means it just as much as the person #1 – so you try hard to have the conversation, yet again.

So the store is closed, and we were preparing for life after downtown Global Fayre…..and then David had a very interesting telephone conversation……..

 

“Cloud 9” Fair Trade silver and Murano glass pendants

We don’t carry many glass products, partly because one of our closest downtown neighbors is a glass blower  (if you ever visit Springfield, aside from coming to Global Fayre, you should make sure to check out Terry and Gabe’s work at Springfield Hot Glass.

But when we saw these beautiful pendants, we just couldn’t resist.

The maker is a woman from Coapango, Guerrero in southern Mexico, Guadalupe Ramos Rios. Our source, Tom Costello tells us that “As far back as the stories go, and as far back as Ms. Ramos Rios can remember, her parent’s parent’s parent’s were artisans who made dresses, shoes, chairs, flatware, jewelry, and other items for everyday use and for personal dress. I have worked with three generations of her family. Every pendant has six components. When the chain or necklace are counted, that makes seven. We christened them “Cloud 9″ because of there light, floating colors and designs.”

For the moment, we are selling them only in our store at 324 S Campbell, Springfield, MO – but in a few weeks we will add them to our online store.

They have arrived just in time for Valentines Day – and to celebrate, we are giving away a Fair Trade Rose with every purchase from Feb 10 to Feb 14.

“Autumn” By the children of the Parents’ Cooperative Preschool

Parents’ Cooperative Preschool, Inc. presents a fantastic display of Autumn inspired artwork created by it’s students. PCPS (a non-profit organization) has been serving children ages two and a half through five and their families for over 30 years. The cooperative concept brings parents of our students into the classrooms on a regular basis, thus becoming an integral part of the child’s first formal learning experience. Through this hands-on experience, parents begin to realize more clearly the pleasures of childhood and the challenges of parenthood. For more information on PCPS please visit Parentscoop.org

Find out more in general about November’s art walk at http://www.ffaw.org

We’re delighted to be hosting en exhibition of work by these children (of course, we’re just a little bit biased since our youngest daughter is one of them!)

 

Team World Vision Ozarks hosts an Urban Orienteering Challenge at Global Fayre!

Who is Team World Vision Ozarks?

Team World Vision Ozarks is a local marathon team that trains to run the Chicago Marathon in 2010.  The group raises funds locally for clean water in Africa.

How your donations go to work?

TWVO is a sub group of Team World Vision in Chicago IL.  In Chicago they will meet up with a 1000 other runners that share the same passion for Africa.  The funds Team World Vision Ozarks raises go directly to World Vision Organization.  World Vision is a Christian Humanitarian group that that helps poverty stricken countries around the world for more information visit www.worldvision.org.  In the past years, Team World Vision has raised close to two million dollars.   Team World Vision Ozarks has raised close to 30,000 in the past two years.  World vision has taken the money raised and works in Zambia, Africa to build water wells which service 600-900 women and children in a village.  World Vision has also built medical clinics in the same region.  This year Team World Vision’s focus is now in Kenya, Africa because their need for clean water is greatest.

How your Team World Vision Ozarks raises funds?

The group raises funds in various ways:

1. Child Sponsorship- They will have sponsorship packets available at Global Fayre on April 2^nd from 6:15-9:45pm.  When a child is sponsored you directly make a connection to the Kenya community.  You will receive information about your child; receive a progress letter, and child communication every few months for a small monthly fee of $35.  Our team in return will receive a credit of $420 for your sponsorship of the child.
2. On April 2^nd Team World Vision Ozarks will be hosting an Urban Orienteering Challenge called Time Talent and Treasure.  The race consists of a $10 per person registration fee and forms can be found on our blog spot www.twvozarks.blogspot.com or at www.omrr.org. under events.  The group will have a sponsorship table inside Global Fayre and outside in the patio area on the corner of Walnut and Campbell St.
3. The group will also take cash donations as well.  Global Fayre will also donate $1 for every purchase made in the store during the evening.

First Friday at Global Fayre; introducing Carl James, Photographer-Architect

Carl is a relative newcomer to Global Fayre; we started carrying his book Aux Arcs at the end of last year.He will join us for First Friday to sign his book and to launch our exhibition of some of thephotographs from the book.

“The thing I love about photography is that it sharpens my visual and emotional sensitivity to the world around me. The camera lens acts as a conduit to see beyond the mundane and focus on the beautiful interplay of light and space”

Carl enjoys exploring symbolism and surrealism created through digital manipulation.

He has seriously pursued photography for the past 10 years. He is a member of the Southwest Missouri Camera Club, the Springfield Visual Arts Alliance and the Springfield Regional Arts Council. Carl’s achievements include various awards in juried competitions in the Southwest Missouri Camera Club and Juror’s Choice Awards and in Springfield Visual Art Alliance juried competitions.

Hand-made Fair Trade cards from Bhaktapur in Nepal

We just got a beautiful new range of cards from our friends at Ganesh Himal Trading. Ganesh is a fellow member of the Fair Trade Federation and a founder member of the Fair Trade Resource Network.

Hand made cards from Bhaktapur

Hand-made Bhaktapur cards are made of Daphne Bark from managed forests in the hills of Nepal. Proceeds from the sales are used for community development activities under a program initiated by UNICEF/Nepal. The card are blank inside and measure 4.5 x 6 inches.

We plan to stock the cards in our downtown Springfield store and also in our online store.

The cards are made by a group called Bhaktapur Crafts, and proceeds from the cards are used to fund community development projects under a program developed by UNICEF/Nepal. We tried to find out more from the UNICEF website; a search on Bhaktapur brought up three (large) pdf’s – so if you’d like to read them just click here.

In terms of Nepal generally, here’s some more information from the UNICEF website:

Nepal is going through a sensitive and fluid political situation. The decade-long Maoist insurgency has taken a toll of about 13,000 lives. The conflict has hampered the delivery of basic services, restricted development assistance and caused a breakdown of family and community networks. Its heaviest impacts fall on women and children.

Issues facing children in Nepal

• More than 50,000 children die in Nepal each year, with malnutrition as the underlying cause for more than 60 per cent of these deaths.
• Half of the children in Nepal are underweight and three-fourths of the pregnant women are anaemic.
• The detection of a few cases of wild polio virus in 2005, following five years without any case, indicates the challenge for cross-border transmission along the border with India.
• Fifteen per cent of Nepal’s wells are contaminated by arsenic. Despite Nepal’s high overall coverage of accessibility to drinking water, access to improved water for deprived, disadvantaged communities and conflict-affected rural and fringe urban areas remains low.
• Two-thirds of Nepalis are still without access to toilets.
• Maternal mortality rates are high due to weak health systems with limited access to emergency obstetric care, skilled attendance and the overall poor status of women. Neonatal mortality rates are also unacceptably high due in part to lack of community awareness on appropriate care of the newborn.
• The conflict has had a significant impact on education. Forced closures of schools due to strikes have cut the school year in half in some areas. Teachers have been threatened, assaulted and even killed. Thousands of students have been taken from school for political indoctrination, and some have been recruited into the Maoist forces or militia.

Activities and results for children

• The Decentralized Action for Children and Women (DACAW) programme has proven effective through its strategy of strengthening community action. To guide the expansion of DACAW efforts, UNICEF has helped to conduct a mapping of disadvantaged groups covering 300,000 households in 237 villages and 8 municipalities.
• Nearly 60,000 boys and girls, 20 per cent from disadvantaged groups, are active in some 3,000 child clubs supported by UNICEF.
• A national measles campaign has immunized nearly 10 million children.
• In 2005, the World Health Organization validated the elimination of neo-natal tetanus from Nepal.
• A programme to de-worm children and provide vitamin A supplements is significantly reducing anaemia and malnutrition rates. The vitamin A effort is saving over 12,000 children’s lives and preventing another 2,000 from going blind every year.
• The ‘Welcome to School’ campaign initiated by UNICEF has greatly increased enrolment and literacy rates for girls and disadvantaged children, and has raised overall birth registration rates.
• UNICEF has helped to establish over 300 community-based paralegal committees to respond to issues like domestic violence.
• More than 1000 school-based child clubs are promoting sanitation and hygiene programmes in their communities.
• In 2005, UNICEF initiated with its partners a mechanism to monitor and report child rights violations in the context of armed conflict.

World Fair Trade Day is May 9th

May 9th is World Fair Trade Day.

We plan to have a whole day of events at Global Fayre and we’d love to hear from anyone that wants to take part or that has something to suggest.

Here’s what on the agenda already:

Fair Trade food sampling – lots of gourmet food and beverages.

World’s Largest Coffee Break – we’ll be taking part in the world’s larges coffee break….the record currently resides with Finland, can you believe that?!

Drums – lots of them

If you want to get in touch, go to our web site at http://www.globalfayre.com

Thanks for supporting Fair Trade!

First Friday Art Walk

Yesterday was the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Springfield.

What a great evening! The weather helped, of course, but it seemed like everyone was ready to go out, socialise, and put the winter blues behind them.

The galleries all stayed busy from 5:30 right through to after 10 and the atmosphere was just uplifting.

If you didn’t make it, you missed a great night. But you can catch the exhibits throughout February at any of the participating galleries. For more information check out www.ffaw.org

Global Fayre hosts photographic exhibition from the World Food Program

We’re excited to be hosting an exhibition of photos from around the world, courtesy of the Springfield Branch of the Friends of the World Food Program.

When: Friday December 12th

Where: Global Fayre

Time: 7pm to 9pm

Join us anytime between 7 and 9 to view photographs from the world, and to hear more about the World Food Program. Find out more here.

Holiday Gift Baskets

We’re excited to be offering a beautiful range of Gift Baskets for the holiday season.

A wrapped basket

We have 6 themes to choose from, all containing the finest Fair Trade ingredients:

• Coffee Lover
• Tea Lover
• Chocolate Lover
• Breakfast for Two
• Coffee and Cookies
• Spa Gift Package

If you’re working to a budget, we can tailor any of the baskets to meet your needs.

We can even deliver locally or ship anywhere you require.

Want to know more?

Visit the website – or better still stop by the store at 324 S Campbell, in Springfield’s historic downtown.