Global Fayre
Fair trade and sustainable gift shops have come a long way in the last 15 years. I recall a time when "fair trade" (to my cautiously curious high school self) was code for "head shop." That was also the time where impressing boys meant wearing my dad's clothes and cultivating an encyclopedic mental database of Beavis and Butthead trivia. Like I said, a lot has changed in the last decade-and-a-half.
But back to the matter at hand, fair trade was considerably more "fringe" than it is now. Today the desire to buy responsibly is mainstreaming -- and unlike similar trends in music, fashion and art -- that's actually a really good thing.
The year-old Global Fayre on Campbell Street sells home decor, food items, clothing and accessories that support indigenous artisanal traditions, charitable co-ops and anything else that promotes livable wages, sustainable production and education. Products are plucked from developing countries as well as stateside efforts, such as the Women's Bean Project, a nonprofit aimed at helping women develop job skills to break the cycle of unemployment and poverty. Many of the items are made from organic or recycled materials and include brief descriptions of where they're from and who made them.
