On 'Golden Friday,' Shop Locally for Fair Trade Presents

Image from Ten Thousand Villages

A search on the internet for the term Golden Friday found two results: the Friday after Pentecost in the Orthodox Christian Church and the practice of some employers to give occasional Fridays off to employees.

A couple of stores in Albuquerque that sell fair trade items are using the term Golden Friday to substitute for Black Friday for a promotion today.

 "Nob Hill Fabrics, HoonArts, and Baskets of Africa will begin the weekend with "Golden Friday," continue on to "Small Business Saturday," and finish up with "Spectacular Sunday." You'll have so much shopping success and fun with us that you'll be able to skip "Cyber Monday" altogether.

In other words, on this day (and every day of the Christmas shopping season), buy presents not only with your loved ones in mind but also in consideration of the small independent artisans and producers in other countries that will benefit from your business.

At one time, there were two principal destinations for people seeking fair trade products in our area: Peacecraft in Albuquerque and Ten Thousand Villages in Santa Fe.  Unfortunately, those two stores were not able to stay in business.  But we still have at least four options to acquire fair trade products from overseas and items produced by local artisans.

Zulu Ilala Palm

Baskets of Africa offers a wide variety of high quality, true Fair Trade, baskets from throughout the African continent. Each of these uniquely handwoven baskets are individually photographed for your shopping convenience.You can choose with confidence, knowing that you will receive the exact basket you see on display ( online). It is always our goal to provide beautiful, functional, and unique African arts and crafts for the home, office, or gifts - while fully implementing Fair Trade principles to further the economic development of the African basket weavers.The retail site (by appointment) is located at 4603 McLeod Rd NE. Call 505-323-2315

Embroidered shoulder bag, Arunicrafts

HoonArts Fair Trade is dedicated to bringing unique, high quality handmade arts and crafts from Tajikistan and other countries along the Great Silk Road to the US market, using Fair Trade principles. "HoonArts" is the fusion of the Tajik word "hoonar" or "hunar," meaning "art" or "craft," and the English word "arts." We hope that HoonArts will serve as the first major handicrafts bridge between Tajikistan and the US, helping to preserve and promote traditional Tajik handicrafts while also promoting economic development for the artisans, many of whom are impoverished women in rural mountain areas. The showroom, called Artisans Nook, shares space with Nob Hill Fabrics, 4401 Cutler NE.

Fiesta Earrings

Lillybead Jewelry offers fairly traded handwoven jewelry supporting young indigenous women from Santa Cruz, a remote rustic village of a few thousand people on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. The young artisans produce earrings, charms, and a broad array of bracelets. The U.S. operation is based in Santa Fe, but there is no actual retail location. (Project founder Lilly Jacobs lives in Santa Cruz, Guatemala). All transactions for the jewelry, certified by the Fair Trade Federation, are conducted by mail. Order here

Nicaragua Pottery

The Next Best Thing to Being There carries a multitude of unique home goods. The shop is an eclectic mix of modern and antique products; bringing in different cultures from all around the world. The shop carries fair-trade items from Soma Artisans from Turkey and pottery from the residents of San Juan de Oriente, a small village nestled among volcanoes in Nicaragua. The shop is located at 1315 Mountain Rd NW, in the Sawmill District of Albuquerque.

 Other Selected Fair Trade Sites

Colores del Pueblo
"Since 1997 we have been working with artisan cooperatives in Latin America and primarily Guatemala. Through fair trade practices we hope to inspire postive change in the world. Not only does paying a fair wage help families and communites rise above the cycle of poverty, but it gives them an incentive to continue cultural craft traditions like weaving, basket-making, pottery-making, woodworking and more. And by paying a just wage, our customers are ensured a quality hand-made product."  See Full Mission

Partners for Just Trade
"We are committed to a holistic approach to fair trade. For us, it goes beyond ensuring fair wages and healthy, safe work conditions. It includes our long-term partnerships with artisans in Peru, Haiti, and Cambodia to help grow their businesses and strengthen their communities."

There are many retailers around the country that offer fair trade products online or through local businesses. One good way to find other sites is to conduct a search via a Fair Trade Federation Search

(Note: This is the first in a two-part series of local fair-trade shopping. The second part will feature organizations and stores that sell products made by immigrant, homeless and other local artists).