Manchester UMC

What is the Fair Trade Market?

What is it? The answer is simple: an opportunity to vote for living wages and a greener environment with your shopping dollars.

Five Fast Facts

1) The Fair Trade Market follows the 10 principals of fair trade.

2) Since 2003 The Fair Trade Market has become an annual sale the weekend before and after Thanksgiving now drawing an estimated 5,000+ shoppers annually.

3) $340,000 fair trade items have been sold, in the accumulative 22 days the market as been open since 2003, lifting artisans out of poverty through work not charity or aid.

4) Approximately $3,500 in retail sales is equal to a living wage for an artisan supporting a family of four or more for one year in the developing world.

5) Conscious consumers vote for change with their dollars at The Fair Trade Market with sales virtually unaffected by the global economic slump (2007 = $88,000; 2008 = $85,000).

What will you find at The Fair Trade Market?
For an average $20 per handmade item, go green, end poverty and find unique gifts to complete any holiday list knowing the artisan has already been paid a fair, living wage. Not a sweatshop, forced laborer or destructed rain forest insight. Art, clothing, handcrafts, musical instruments, games, sporting goods, home décor, food, books, toys, jewelry, Christmas and Hanukah holiday items… from more than 50 countries creating 2,500+ square feet of fair trade shopping. A true family affair, The Fair Trade Market offers shopping, food, and entertainment for everyone.

How Does The Fair Trade Market Make a Difference?
The Fair Trade Market stretches your shopping dollars to the max! When a fabulous fair trade gift is purchased, fair wages have already been paid to the artisan who can, in turn, support their family without turning to charity or corruption or environmentally destructive practices like logging and wild animal poaching for income. Fair trade products are made with sound environmental practices including using repurposed and renewable materials, natural dyes, and recycled, post consumer waste packing. Ever used a door mat from flip flops, hung a broken bangle bracelet picture frame, carried a purse made from a former sari, or displayed a Coke can nativity scene that provides a glass of clean drinking water half way around the world? Lastly, the ten percent of the purchase price donated by the vendors to The Fair Trade Market funds the following year’s market as well as several human and fair trade development projects. Check out Where Does the Money Go [link = to that page] for more information.

How Did The Fair Trade Market Get Started?
In 2002 Social Justice Advocate Debbie Cole introduced the group to Equal Exchange’s fair trade coffee, suggesting the Advocates sell one pound bags to the congregation one Sunday a month. The sales were so successful, a coffee cart was built to maintain a full selection of Equal Exchange coffee, tea, and chocolate.

Around the same time then Advocates leader and market founder Kellee Sikes began conversations with Plowsharing Crafts about holding a fair trade sale at Manchester United Methodist Church. The Fair Trade Market started out small in 2003 with just a few tables of items and internal church advertisement only. Encouraged by the 1,000 or so shoppers and $10,000 in sales from the one weekend trial in 2003, the Advocates decided to expand to two weekends and flyers in 2004. The 2004 result, more than 100% growth with an estimated 2,000+ shoppers and $26,000 in sales.

Knowing $3,500 in retail fair trade sales is equal to a developing world artisan having enough meaningful work to support a family of four or more for a year on a living wage, spurred on the Advocates to expand the market with more public relations efforts and cultural entertainment in 2005. The Advocates were amazed and overjoyed that year with a record 3,000+ shoppers and $60,000 in fair trade sales in four days. 2005 had translated to an equivalent of 17 families living a life of dignity and worth for a year based on work not aid – just over 24 families over three markets thus far.

Each year more and more Social Just Advocates, members of Manchester United Methodist and fair trade supporters joined the volunteer Fair Trade Market team, growing the market and fair trade education with enthusiasm. The steering committee began planning, organizing, and inventorying goods a year in advance while the number of volunteer hours climbed over 2,000 hours and 400 volunteer slots.

Every volunteer moment is worth it thanks to the local St. Louis media and shoppers from the St. Louis area and beyond. The market continued to grow in sales ($71,000), shoppers (4,600+), and living wages for fair trade artisans and farmers during 2006. In 2007 the market grew to $88,000 in sales and 5,000+ shoppers. Even with the economic down turn in 2008 the market continued to change lives through fair trade with $85,000 in sales and 6,000 shoppers learning a little more about what it means to vote with shopping dollars for a better world.

The growth of the market and fair trade in general meant more artisans able to participate in fair trade resulting in more children in school, opportunities for three meals a day, clean drinking water, health care, less sweatshop workers, better environmental practices and so much more.

To date, over the course of six years and a total of 22 sale days, the market has sold $340,000 in fair trade goods translating to an equivalent of 97 families living a life of dignity and worth for a year based on work not aid.

This year’s The Fair Trade Market co-hairs Edana Huse and Kimi Butler along with vendors Plowsharing Crafts, Partners for Just Trade, (PJT), Back Yard Beef, Heifer International, Nuwati Herbals, Dancing Yogi, and Holyland-Gifts welcome you to the 7th annual Fair Trade Market. Let every shopper’s fair trade Cha-ching for a better world.