The New Shopping Paradigm: Fair Trade and Crafted by Hand

Handmade as a defining shopping paradigm is in, and fair trade cottage industry manufacturing is driving it. Even the US State Department is recognizing this, as a NPR story last month talked about Secretary of State John Kerry promoting small cottage industries that make well-crafted products by hand. And now with the fair trade momentum making handmade goods (that are paid fairly) available everywhere (including online, such as our Shopping for a Change store), the shift to Western affluent nations buying hand crafted goods is becoming a very large metric.

In Kerry’s talks, he emphasizes that the hand crafted industries found in 3 continents (and now involves hundreds of companies and organizations) has the potential to improve the lives of the individuals who make them. And that is the purpose of fair trade—to provide a global market for the goods, and a living wage for the artisans crafting the goods.

Kerry said in the story, "Consumers today care more and more about where something comes from, who produced it, under what conditions did they produce it."

A growing number of Americans, says Tori Mellott, senior editor at Traditional Home, are looking for something that's got a human touch behind it: "We live in a world of plastic and screens. We want something personal." And products that can both support craftspeople and be practical for the customer pack the ultimate "double punch."

We’re proud to be a part of this growing trend and movement, and we’re proud to be nonprofit, which means more of the dollars coming in for purchasing our goods goes back to the artisans and their communities.

We always have great prices for handmade fair trade products at our Clearance sale page (link). Among the most popular items consumers purchase as hand crafted are jewelry and accessories, and we encourage you to browse our collections.

Please visit us frequently during 2016 as new selections will arrive throughout the year. Like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.