1st 100-percent fair trade store opens today in Bloomington

For five years IU lecturer Mary Embry has been a driving force behind the development of the first 100-percent fair trade store in Bloomington, which opens today.

“She gave her life to the store,” said junior Eric Nelson, vice president of Students in Free Enterprise. “None of this would have happened without her.”

Global Gifts provides people in third world countries who otherwise wouldn’t have access to markets a chance to sell their products.

Embry, a lecturer in the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, has not only overseen the project, but has also been very active for its five years in
development.

Several years ago Embry suggested the formation of a Global Gifts in Bloomington, but the executive decision was to expand to Indianapolis, said Sam Carpenter, general manager of Global Gifts.

With this setback, Embry continued to pursue the fair trade movement in Bloomington.
As sponsor of SIFE, Embry proposed the idea of a large fair trade project.

The members of the group had sales for their project Fair Trade Bloomington, which benefitted the producers and assisted in fundraising money for the store. The sales created buzz about fair trade throughout the community.

From the sales, word spread about the fair trade movement, helping the group receive community support, said Meghan Cutsumbis, past SIFE vice president and IU graduate.

Different schools such as the Kelley School of Business and the School of Journalism provided classes that moved Fair Trade Bloomington along. The public relations writing class developed the name “Fair Trade Bloomington,” a project that became a non-for-profit organization in 2006.

“Another element of the store is to touch, feel and get a sense of fair trade,” said Embry. “You can learn the artisans’ stories.”

According to Global Gifts Web site, artisans are paid 50 percent in advance when an order is placed and the remaining half is given after the products leave the artisans’ country or continent. This provides a necessary income for materials and supplies for artisans who would not be able to fulfill orders.

The store carries products from 35 different countries, which range from baskets to jewelry.

Half of the store’s products are from Ten Thousand Villages, a large fair trade retailer. The other half of the stock is from a variety of vendors including Imani Workshops, affiliated with the IU-Kenya Partnership.

The store is on 122 N. Walnut St. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

An underlying force behind the free trade movement is student volunteers.

Interested volunteers are asked to commit to volunteering at least twice a month and can visit the store 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays to learn about work opportunities.

The store partnered with the Office of Service-Learning and students can get involved with the store through their classes.

“The fact it happened in four or five years never crossed my mind to even be possible,” Nelson said.