Fair Trade
Quilts & Crafts is a
"social business" which adheres to "Fair Trade"
principles
established in November 2000 to support craft and weaving in the developing world. Every
product we sell was created by artisans in a "Sweatshop
Free" environment. We strive to preserve traditional methods of hand weaving
while providing a steady & fair income to the artisans. You can
read more about our work and our mission and principles below. As Fair Traders, we pay artisans at least 50 percent more than
they are paid within their
local market. However, because we buy directly from
the artisans, we are able to offer them
to you at a great price.
Green Business
Practices: As you can see throughout our website, our artisans
incorporate recycled materials into many of our products and we only support
groups that engage in environmentally sustainable practices in creating their
products. We reuse or recycle nearly 100% of all packaging materials that come
in to our US facility and have developed energy conservation and energy
efficiency plans to reduce our carbon footprint. We have been members of Green
America since 2003.
Contact Information &
Physical Location: Our offices in the United States
are located at 615 Highpoint Ave., Virginia Beach, VA 23451. You can contact us
by phone at 757-428-7218 or via email at info@fairtradequilts.com
.
We
Pledge:
1. Our customer information will never be provided to a third party.
2. We will live up to and exceed the standards of the Fair Trade Federation in
our business dealings with the artisans represented here.
3. Our customers will be treated ethically and we will strive
to exceed their expectations in providing customer service.
4. We will provide a safe and secure shopping
experience.
5. Orders will ship within One business day unless an item is out of stock and
in that case, we will notify you immediately to give you an expected ship date.
Memberships: We
are Proud Members of the Fair Trade Federation, Green America, The Better
Business Bureau [We Have an A+ Rating!], & The Fair Trade
Alliance.
Our
Products in the Media:
Our Patchwork Quilts were featured in "Lucky
Magazine". They said, "Their quilts are simply
beautiful." Our
Quilts & Pillow Covers were also featured in
"Bust",
"Yoga Journal", "Domino", "People's
Style Watch!" and "Latina"
magazines, and
our Quilts & Ceramics were used to create Guatemalan themed sets
on episodes of
"Law & Order, Criminal Intent" and
"Saving Grace".
December
2011
Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts Newsletter:
Each Month we like to connect with our customers and friends to share news about
the Fair Trade movement and introduce you to new Fair Trade products and
businesses. Please forward this to friends and family that
are interested in Fair Trade and sustainable living topics, and if you wander
across articles that you think we should include in the newsletter, please email
them to us at dlam@fairtradequilts.com
.
This Christmas why not
give gifts that help alleviate poverty!
New Fair
Trade Products and Companies:
A new Marketplace for socially responsible products you might want to explore…
Do Good Buy Us See it
here: http://www.dogoodbuy.us/
.
Gold
certified as “fair trade” Mining
company complies with ethical standards to sell its product above the
international market value. Read about the project here: http://lapress.org/articles.asp?art=6412
.
Great new Jeans Company- Monkey
Genes! Very Cool ethically produced and organic products. See them here: http://www.monkeegenes.com/
.
Information
about the Fair Trade Movement:
Hampton Roads Fair Trade Festival! This
is the 10th year for the Fair Trade Festival and we are
working hard to make it the best ever. This year’s festival will be held at
Waterside Mall, Norfolk Virginia
on Dec. 3rd and 4th, and
will include music and dancing, a Fair Trade Fashion Show, films, workshops
and more.
We will be
there with dozens of other Fair Trade vendors.
New Fair
Trade Federation Members:
If you are near by please give them a visit or visit them online.
Belart
- Bello Arte
works with
artisans in Latin America
using innovative materials such as tagua and fique/agave. As a women-owned
firm, Belart - Bello Arte focuses on women partnerships with the strong belief
that by empowering girls and women, they are in turn raising the standard of
living for their families, and whole communities.
Africa
Schools of Kenya (ASK)
is a non-profit
organization working to support Masai communities in southern Kenya.
ASK partners with Masai women who create beaded jewelry, the sales of which
help raise the standard of living for the women and their community. ASK
focuses on encouraging self- sufficiency and creating a "hand-up"
instead of a hand-out model.
New
Products at Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts:
After a year without them, we are pleased to again offer Fabulous
Handmade Gujarat
Patchwork Tapestry Bedspreads
from India. Read more
about the bedspreads and our partners in India here:
http://www.fairtradequilts.com/kuchi_turkmani_bedspreads.htm
. Their Embroidered Tapestry Bedspreads are really one of a kind textile art.
We are
also offering Guatemalan Bed Scarves for the
first time. These beautiful pieces are made to complement & accent
your current bedspread. You can find them near the bottom on this page of our
web site: http://www.fairtradequilts.com/tapestries.htm
.
And we
have new quilts, floral mugs and pillow covers in
this month so visit us often!
Have
a Wonderful Holiday Season! Thanks and regards! Don
Fair
Trade Quilts and Crafts
Mission Statement 2012:
- Producers will be paid a fair price, at least 50% more than they
would receive within the local market.
- We will only deal with non-profit partners which engage in ethical business practices
and pay producers fairly.
- We will build long-term trade relationships, provide start-up and
capacity-building loans, pay producers on a timely basis, and provide advance payments
to allow our artisans to purchase materials.
- We will only support groups that maintain healthy, safe, working conditions, and
engage in environmentally sustainable practices.
- We will provide training and design support to assist our artisans in
reaching the N. American Market
- We will honor and encourage our artisans' cultural and artistic
heritage
- We will assist artisans in building independent, sustainable businesses,
that can successfully compete beyond fair trade networks
About the Founder of
Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts [Reprinted from an article done
by the Fair
Trade Federation]:
Don Lam, founder and president of Fair
Trade Quilts and Crafts, has seen the developing world from many angles. The
first time he experienced extreme poverty was while working with a
non-governmental organization in
Latin America
to provide food assistance to those suffering from malnutrition and disease.
From there, Don went on to take the position of Vice President of World SHARE in
the late nineties. During his time at World SHARE, Don worked to start their
first Fair Trade program that dealt with coffee cooperatives on the Pacific
coast of Mexico. Additionally, World SHARE created micro-loan programs to assist entrepreneurs
in starting small businesses. Through this process, Don realized that marketing
assistance would be crucial to the success of these entrepreneurs in order to
meet the need for knowledge of the North American market and a means by which to
sell their products...
After leaving World SHARE in 1998, Don partnered with Share de Guatemala to
create Fair Trade Quilts and Crafts—a business dedicated to helping artisans
find a North American market for their goods. With a mission to provide a
consistent source of income while preserving their traditional handicrafts, Fair
Trade Quilts and Crafts focused on helping artisans adapt indigenous designs to
North American tastes and to improve the overall quality of products. With such
assistance, artisans doubled their income and Fair Trade Quilts and Crafts
garnered praise from satisfied customers all across the United States. Such success allowed the artisans' market to continue to expand and they
brought additional artisans into their weaving cooperatives. Eventually, an
entire village in the central highlands of Guatemala was employed by this cooperative.....
As Don reflects on the last nine years of his business, he calls it “the most
rewarding work [he] has ever done;” but instead of focusing on his
contributions, he recognizes the customers for making responsible buying
decisions: “I credit our fabulous customers for making choices in their
purchases that truly assist artisans to raise themselves and their families from
poverty.”
Our high-quality
patchwork quilts, embroidered bedspreads, and other crafts are handmade by artisans
in the developing world. Every item you purchase
assists them in building a better life for their families. Fair Trade is
the most productive form of aid for such artisans.
Special! A
Brown Guatemalan Embroidered Shoulder Bag [ 9 x 9.5 inches. 40 inch
shoulder strap. Cotton.
Zipper close] Free with Every Order of $100
or More until February 29th.
Also, A
Free Handmade Card when you
send your purchase as
a gift to friends or family. See the "Ordering
Info." Page for Details.
We offer Sale Items, Overstocks, Irregulars, and
One-of-a-Kind Crafts on our
Overstocks
& Sales Page
And Remember, orders
ship within 1 Bus. Day and Shipping is Free
in the Continental
US. |
Questions?
Click here: info@fairtradequilts.com
|
We are very proud to be a  member
of the Better Business Bureau Online Reliability Program! A+
Rating! |
Secure Shopping! Click on
"add to cart" to pay
with your credit card or PayPal via CCNOW!
________
No shipping charges in the Continental US and a 30 day return policy on
all orders! |
Fair
Trade
Federation
Member!
Look for the FTF logo to be assured that you are supporting Fair Trade retailers!
Say "No" to
Sweatshops! |
