Sale Friday & Saturday

Sale

May 7-8

celebrating

World Fair Trade Day

and Mother's Day!

Free coffee or chocolate given away every hour

(must be present to win)

"Threads of Hope" is a Reality!

In January, Maurine McTyre-Watts partnered with professor Amanda Nicholson and students from SU's Whitman School to help the Chumanzana women's group set up their thread store!

Click here for more pictures and description of this partnership venture.

FWM in the New Times

Fair World Marketplace is featured in the Syracuse New Times this week:

... many Fair Trade items can be found at Fair World Marketplace, 4471 E. Genesee St., DeWitt (446-0326). There you can peruse planters, gifts, puppets, jewelry, accent furniture and musical instruments. Foodstuffs include chocolates, soups, coffee, tea and olive oil.

The article goes on to provide some great recipes using fair trade ingredients!

Community Patrnership Shopping Days

Embrace the spirit of the season with a gift that keeps on giving.
During our Community Partnership shopping days we will give back 10% of sales to a local nonprofit working in our community.
Shop Fair Trade.
A beautifully hand crafted, fairly traded gift provides a sustainable income to the one who made it.
On the days below, its sale supports a Syracuse-area non-profit and so gives back to our community.
And, of course, it will delight whoever receives it!


October 31-Nov1:” Our Holiday Preview Sale”:
Mention Vera House and we will donate 10% of the sale back to Vera House!
---Because the majority of our products are made by marginalized women
Vera House: “works to assist families in crisis, to support those affected by domestic and sexual violence to live safe, self-sufficient lives, to empower women and children, and to promote a culture of equality and respect in all relationships. “

November 7-8th
Mention Friends of Dorothy Day and we will donate 10% of the sale back to Friends of Dorothy Day
----Because a number of our co-ops are made up of those living with AIDS
Friends of Dorothy Day: A catholic worker house dedicated to hospice care of HIV/AIDS patients

December 5th-6th
Mention the Samaritan Center and we will donate 10% of the sale back to the Samaritan Center
---Because all of those we work with are living in poverty.
The Samaritan Center: An interfaith effort to feed the homeless and needy men, women and children of Syracuse.


Additionally: join us on November 21st
for our first ever “bag” sale”:
Receive 10% off everything you can fit into our 8x11” shopping bag,
(excluding jewelry)
---Because we appreciate your support!

New Guatemalan Artisan Partners

We are proud to announce FWM’s new partnership with several indigenous women’s cooperatives in Guatemala. Our goal is to help create new products, increase their market and help promote their self development within Guatemala.

In August, 2008, we established working relationships with Mayan women's cooperatives in the highlands.

On returning this last June, we discovered that the Chumanzana Group has become inspired with an entrepreneurial spirit in hopes of improving their lives. Because they now have a small outlet to the outside world for their weaving, they have begun to dream. Their dream is now to open a store in their village that sells thread to both their local community and those close by. Though all women are weavers, they must travel a long distance to find thread because their village is remotely located.

This summer we helped them begin to think through this process, to collect information they need and to connect them with a local NGO that is helping them with the legal aspects of their business. Our goal is now to help them apply for any grants we can find to help them purchase stock and display cabinets. If any of you know of grants we can assist them with, please let us know.

This is what Fair Trade can do: a little bit of hope can spark dreams of change.

Guatemala expedition

I am back in Guatemala visiting the women of Chumanzana and catching up on their lives. This group are back-strap weavers and are really feeling the pressure of the world-wide economic recession at this time. We are here working with them to create new products for the fall season and plan for the future.

World Fair Trade Day

Join us for a Fair Trade Coffee Break

celebrating World Fair Trade Day May 7-9th.

Free coffee samples and a great sale!

Scarves, jewelry, handbags, table runners and much more on sale.

Free gift with any purchase over $30 while supplies last.

Daily drawings.

Fair trade video

This video really explains the concept of fair trade well. Enjoy it and feel free to comment on it as well.

Mars bars and cadbury are going fair trade

Mars bars has decided to make the move to buy cocoa only from suppliers who "meet certain environmental, labor and production standers," according to a New York Times article. (you can check out the whole article here: Mars Sets Goal for Sustainable Sources by 2020 - washingtonpost.com)

Mars said they plan to accomplish this by the year 2020, but it will not affect their prices (which is a relief to anyone who absolutely loves Mars bars).

Cadbury is also planing to go fair trade with its Dairy Milk chocolate bars by the end of the summer. unfortunately it is not planning to do so with any of its other bars. But every step helps!

Divine recipes!

Want to make some fair trade goodies for Valentine's Day? Check out the desert recipes from Divine Chocolates, like this Double Chocolate Torte! We stock the full range of Divine products at Fair World Marketplace.

Nativities on Sale

We are at the height of the season and to celebrate we are putting a selection of nativities on sale this week.

This hand-carved nativity set is made in Peru and is a simple and elegant addition to your holiday. The regular price is $55, and we are offering at the great price of $35.

These metal nativities are made in Haiti from recycled oil drums. The 3-panel hinged screen nativity is on sale for $95.50. The manger sculpture is being offered at a great savings for $55.50

Ceramics on Special

Starting December 3rd, we're adding a few ceramic items to our holiday specials. These make a great addition to your home, or a great gift.


These leaf-pattern ceramics are handmade in Indonesia. This platter and serving bowl are beautiful individually and even better as a matching set. Our sale price is $36 for each of them.


This ornately decorated condiment dish is crafted in Vietnam, where there is a long tradition of ceramics. The handpainted dragonfly dish is on sale for $26.

Let The Shopping Season Begin

With the coming of Thanksgiving, the holidays are in full swing. We've decorated the store and brought in a lot of exciting new items to make it even easier for you to support Fair Trade and find the perfect gifts.

These handmade jute gift bags are made in Calcutta by a group of former prostitutes, now working with dignity to create these festive jute bags. It’s a quick, easy way to wrap gifts and make a difference at the same time. Our special price is $3.99.

To make the countdown to Christmas a little sweeter, we are putting our Divine Chocolate Advent Calenders on sale for $5.95.

It's also time to get the christmas cards in the mail, so this week we are adding these beautiful hand-cut paper cards to our list of specials. These cards are made in Thailand through the Hands of Hope Project, which supports villagers living with HIV/AIDS. Choose from a wide selection and get 3 for $9.

New Specials for Nov. 19th

It's time to start decorating for the season! With that in mind, we are starting off this weeks' round of specials with a great deal on these jute paper stars. Handmade in Bangladesh, these beautiful stars add a unique touch to your season. We are offering them for the special price of $8.00!

These wool throws come in two patterns and make for a warm and versatile accessory. They are handmade in Nepal and are normally $44.00. We are putting them on special for $26.00.

This orange-blossom soap is made by Enterprising Kitchen, a chicago group that is devoted to providing development and support services for women who are working towards self-sufficiency. The soap comes in a beautiful bark paper box, a great gift at the special price of $10.95

Choose Dignity and Freedom

Your purchase of a Fair World Marketplace tote helps provide a sustainable income to over 50 former prostitutes in Calcutta, breaking the cycle of poverty for these women and their daughters.

To continue in the spirit of their mission locally, we will donate 20% of your tote purchase to Vera House.

Located in Syracuse, Vera House works to support those affected by domestic and sexual violence to live safe, self-sufficient lives, to empower women and children and to promote a culture of equality and respect in relationships. For more on their mission, please visit http://www.verahouse.org/ .

Help support FWM's developing projects

This great calendar is full of beautiful photographs from our recent development trips. Proceeds from this calendar will help to support our efforts to create Fair Trade, income-generating projects for groups in Kigoma, Tanzania and Guatemala.

A 2009 calendar is a great way to give yourself and others a daily reminder of the mission behind Fair Trade. People all over the world are empowered to earn a sustainable livelihood with dignity and hope for themselves and their communities.

Thank you for supporting Fair Trade!

More Holiday Specials starting Nov 12th

Our list of Holiday Specials continues to grow. With the holiday season right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start shopping for a Fair Trade gift.

Get into the holiday spirit with these adorable, hand-painted elf ornaments from El Salvador. Our special price is only $8.00, for the pair!

This handmade climbing Santa doll is a festive decoration that comes from the Philippines. The original price is $11.00 and we're marking it down all the way to $5.25.

With hat and scarf weather upon us, we thought now would be a great time to put these hand-knitted items on sale. These alapca/acrylic blend scarves and hats are made in Peru and feature matching designs, the hat is on sale for $9.99 and the scarf is on sale for $17.99.

New Specials for November 5th

We’re adding to our list of holidays specials again this week. All sale items will be offered until they are gone. Please keep checking back, as we plan to add specials weekly throughout the holiday season.

This set of butterfly jewelry is made in India and is our biggest special yet. Peridot and Citrine butterflies make for beautiful sterling silver earrings and bracelet. The earrings were originally $32.00 and are on special for $10.00. The bracelet was originally $38.00 and is on special for $14.00.

To help keep your kids’ heads warm this winter, we’re adding these fun knit caps to our special list. These caps are hand-knitted in Bolivia and come in several varieties including, reindeer, elephant, penguin and more. The original price is $19.99 and we are taking 25% off, so it’s $14.95.

Educate your children about the importance of Fair Trade with this colorful story book. We are putting it to the special price of $6.50.

Holiday Specials at Fair World Marketplace

Join us in Celebrating the Holidays with fairly traded, handmade gifts from around the world.
Beginning October 29th, we will be running eight weeks of Holiday Specials. Each week we will have new specials offered until the items are gone, so be sure to visit us online or in the store and see what’s new.

To start the season off we have some great specials for this week:

These holiday ornaments make a perfect addition for your tree this year, or a great gift.
This stunning red ornament is made from hand-blown glass in India. Our regular price is $6.95, and our special is $3.99

This frosted white glass ornament also comes to us from India. It is regularly $12.00, and is on special for $7.50.





This elegant, hand-painted vase is crafted in Vietnam. Our regular price is $22.50, our holiday special is $15.99.

Equal Exchange--Fair Trade Pioneer

Since opening, Fair World Marketplace has proudly sold Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate. Now CSRWire has profiled the company:

For more than twenty years Equal Exchange has been a pioneer in redefining corporate structure and in raising awareness of fair trade practices with farmers around the world. As one of oldest thriving cooperatives in America, they are deeply respected not only for the way they run their own business, but for being a company that has long lived its mission: to create a new model of bringing the best from farms to the consumers in a manner that is direct, fair and sustainable to all.

For the rest of the story, see Worker-Owned Cooperative Thrives as Fair Trade Pioneer.