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One world: International store brings fair trade to McKinney
Photo courtesy of Andrew Jones – Andrew and Kate Jones opened their fair trade store in historic downtown McKinney three weeks ago. The couple has traveled to Mexico and Brazil to see how some of the products they sell are made.
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com, @KelleyChambers7 on Twitter
When Andrew and Kate Jones of Plano opened Fair & Square Imports about three weeks ago in historic downtown McKinney, they wanted their customers to do more than just buy something. They wanted to change the way they see the world.
Located off E. Louisiana Street, the retail shop carries global, fair trade and handmade goods from around 30 different developing countries.
Fair trade gives artisans from around the world an opportunity to participate in global trade using locally sourced materials to produce handmade goods. These products reflect the unique culture of their region, while allowing them to earn better wages and impact their economy in a positive way, Andrew said.
"We're kind of different than most stores, [in that] all of our products we get from nonprofit and development organizations," Andrew said. "The concept behind fair trade stores is basically to help people help themselves out of poverty."
Whether it's from famine, war, AIDS or other socially destructive influences, many underdeveloped countries have been left behind when it comes to economic advances that the free market has brought to countries like the United States within the past 50 years, Andrew said. By enforcing certain criteria such as safe and environmentally friendly working conditions, equal opportunities for women and pre-purchasing, fair-trade products give countries like Bangladesh, Mexico, Haiti and Vietnam a chance to participate in the free market without being taken advantage of, he said.
"If we place an order for 50 African baskets from Ghana, we'll pay 50 percent of that up front before they even have the raw materials so they can buy the raw materials," Andrew said. "We don't ever loan any money to anyone like a lot of other organizations. The idea is we're not a charity, we're a business but it's a different way of doing business, in that some of the most at-risk people that have been taken advantage of by corporations have an opportunity to get out from under that."
Fair trade is also defined as providing livable wages for the craftsperson within the context of the country in which they live. This competitive pay gives that person the ability to send their children to school, pay for healthcare and invest in their futures.
Paying for the products before they are made also prevents that artisan from being out the money if the product doesn't sell once it gets here. With fair trade, the artisan dictates the price, not the purchaser.
"That's a huge thing. Most of the time it's the exact opposite," Andrew said. "They have control, that's something they rarely get from most deals or with most trading relationships."
Every item at Fair & Square Imports has a story to tell. Whether it's a coaster made of recycled paper from Vietnam or a purse made by Earth Divas - a group of women in Nepal - everything is handmade, high quality and modestly priced. A price tag reveals where the item was made, and descriptions throughout the store lets the customer dive a little deeper into the products to learn more about their creators.
A room in the back also allows visitors to learn about the methods used to make some of the items. Currently, the display showcases the work of Indian artisans who carve patterns into wood blocks and use them as stamps to make intricate cotton tablecloths, shower curtains and robes.
Fair & Square visitors can also learn how a co-op of Haitian growers packaged their Singing Rooster coffee, and how a group of rice farmers in Sri Lanka whose crops were being trampled by elephants decided to use the animal dung to make paper products. Cleverly named Mr. Ellie Pooh, the business ended up being more profitable than growing the rice, and it saved a lot of elephants' lives in the process too, Andrew said.
"It's very refreshing to come into a store where we want to share things, we want you to know where your items come from," he said.
There are roughly 200-250 fair trade stores like his across the country, most of which share a history of working with Christian missionary groups. Third-party groups like the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fair Trade Federation inspect farms and factories periodically to ensure they are adhering to the fair trade code, or what Andrew called the "social conscious label."
Running a fair-trade business is harder than other retail outlets, Andrew said, in that owners are a lot more limited in terms of what they can purchase. Such a challenge is a stark contrast to other companies, which typically don't want their consumers to know where their products come from because the person who made them is probably making pennies on the dollar, if that. The markups, Andrew said, can be quite enormous.
"With my husband's background in economics and mine in marketing, we're all about how we can effectively create the most impact," Andrew's wife, Kate, said. "That's why fair trade is so important to us."
Despite the fact that their business is only one of only a couple in North Dallas (the closest one is in Canton), the Jones' feel confident that local residents will respond to it quickly and want to become a part of their venture for the sake of improving humanity around the world.
"I grew up in the Dallas area and, while I call Dallas home, I had never truly experienced McKinney until we moved here a few months ago," Kate said. "Downtown McKinney has been extremely welcoming and we've loved exploring the unique shops and amazing restaurants. We couldn't have picked a better spot."
Located off E. Louisiana Street, the retail shop carries global, fair trade and handmade goods from around 30 different developing countries.
Fair trade gives artisans from around the world an opportunity to participate in global trade using locally sourced materials to produce handmade goods. These products reflect the unique culture of their region, while allowing them to earn better wages and impact their economy in a positive way, Andrew said.
"We're kind of different than most stores, [in that] all of our products we get from nonprofit and development organizations," Andrew said. "The concept behind fair trade stores is basically to help people help themselves out of poverty."
Whether it's from famine, war, AIDS or other socially destructive influences, many underdeveloped countries have been left behind when it comes to economic advances that the free market has brought to countries like the United States within the past 50 years, Andrew said. By enforcing certain criteria such as safe and environmentally friendly working conditions, equal opportunities for women and pre-purchasing, fair-trade products give countries like Bangladesh, Mexico, Haiti and Vietnam a chance to participate in the free market without being taken advantage of, he said.
"If we place an order for 50 African baskets from Ghana, we'll pay 50 percent of that up front before they even have the raw materials so they can buy the raw materials," Andrew said. "We don't ever loan any money to anyone like a lot of other organizations. The idea is we're not a charity, we're a business but it's a different way of doing business, in that some of the most at-risk people that have been taken advantage of by corporations have an opportunity to get out from under that."
Fair trade is also defined as providing livable wages for the craftsperson within the context of the country in which they live. This competitive pay gives that person the ability to send their children to school, pay for healthcare and invest in their futures.
Paying for the products before they are made also prevents that artisan from being out the money if the product doesn't sell once it gets here. With fair trade, the artisan dictates the price, not the purchaser.
"That's a huge thing. Most of the time it's the exact opposite," Andrew said. "They have control, that's something they rarely get from most deals or with most trading relationships."
Every item at Fair & Square Imports has a story to tell. Whether it's a coaster made of recycled paper from Vietnam or a purse made by Earth Divas - a group of women in Nepal - everything is handmade, high quality and modestly priced. A price tag reveals where the item was made, and descriptions throughout the store lets the customer dive a little deeper into the products to learn more about their creators.
A room in the back also allows visitors to learn about the methods used to make some of the items. Currently, the display showcases the work of Indian artisans who carve patterns into wood blocks and use them as stamps to make intricate cotton tablecloths, shower curtains and robes.
Fair & Square visitors can also learn how a co-op of Haitian growers packaged their Singing Rooster coffee, and how a group of rice farmers in Sri Lanka whose crops were being trampled by elephants decided to use the animal dung to make paper products. Cleverly named Mr. Ellie Pooh, the business ended up being more profitable than growing the rice, and it saved a lot of elephants' lives in the process too, Andrew said.
"It's very refreshing to come into a store where we want to share things, we want you to know where your items come from," he said.
There are roughly 200-250 fair trade stores like his across the country, most of which share a history of working with Christian missionary groups. Third-party groups like the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fair Trade Federation inspect farms and factories periodically to ensure they are adhering to the fair trade code, or what Andrew called the "social conscious label."
Running a fair-trade business is harder than other retail outlets, Andrew said, in that owners are a lot more limited in terms of what they can purchase. Such a challenge is a stark contrast to other companies, which typically don't want their consumers to know where their products come from because the person who made them is probably making pennies on the dollar, if that. The markups, Andrew said, can be quite enormous.
"With my husband's background in economics and mine in marketing, we're all about how we can effectively create the most impact," Andrew's wife, Kate, said. "That's why fair trade is so important to us."
Despite the fact that their business is only one of only a couple in North Dallas (the closest one is in Canton), the Jones' feel confident that local residents will respond to it quickly and want to become a part of their venture for the sake of improving humanity around the world.
"I grew up in the Dallas area and, while I call Dallas home, I had never truly experienced McKinney until we moved here a few months ago," Kate said. "Downtown McKinney has been extremely welcoming and we've loved exploring the unique shops and amazing restaurants. We couldn't have picked a better spot."
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