The holidays will soon be upon us and of course I hope you will purchase all of your fair trade jewelry and Judaica gifts from Dunitz & Company. If you're reading my blog, you are almost certainly interested in fair trade. Perhaps you're in the market for home goods, children's toys or aromatherapy? My Fair Trade Federation colleagues have you covered. Here's a list of 17 fabulous sites where you can almost certainly find a potpourri of amazing fair trade treasures for you and your loved ones.
In alphabetical order:
1. Awaken
- I've been
drooling over Awaken's hipster scarves and clothing. Their designs,
handmade in Thailand are so cool. My guess is after checking them out,
you might be purchasing gifts for you and your favorite gal pals at
Awaken sometime soon. www.awakenfairtrade.com
2. Dunitz & Company
- Yes, that's my business and I've been working with artisans in
Guatemala since 1990! Please check out our site to find incredible seed
bead, embroidered and fused glass jewelry designs. We also have the most
special kippot for women. Have you seen our laser cut jewelry? You might just need to own a pair of 'Starry Night' earrings. www.shopdunitz.com 
3. Eternal Threads
- I think you'll be really impressed with the wide selection of gifts
from all over the globe offered by Eternal Threads. I am. (And this site is also offering some Dunitz fair trade jewelry this season.) From sophisticated to hippy, you'll find a lot of awesome gifts for your favorite friends and family. www.eternalthreads.org 
4. Fair Trade Winds
- If you're not familiar with Fair Trade Winds, you should be. They
have an amazing website offering so many wonderful fair trade items.
They know retailing well since they own and manage several brick
& mortar shops too. And since they've been my (wholesale) customer for several years, I can say with confidence that they are some of the nicest people I know. www.fairtradewinds.net 
5. Freeset USA
- I only recently learned about Freeset USA, even though they've been a
member of Fair Trade Federation longer than Dunitz. I'm so impressed
with their long line of handbags, totes and duffels (made in India)
which really have a great hip young vibe. They even offer fair trade
T-shirts. I also found out that Freeset produces goods for other FTF
members, private label. www.freesetusa.com 
6. HoonArts - New on my list and not to be missed. HoonArts works with artisans in Central Asia. Their luscious scarves from the Seven Sisters artists of Kyrgyzstan will make your heart race. And their hand-carved wooden combs from Tajikistan are so amazing, I couldn't resist. I purchased one recently. www.hoonarts.com 
7. Kahiniwalla
- Let's talk kids! Kahiniwalla offers the most amazing children's toys
and accessories. I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything,
anywhere available that is more precious that this collection crafted in
Bangladesh. If you have tots on your gift list, you must take a look at
this site. www.kahiniwalla.com
8. Maroma USA
- This site is luscious. Maroma offers a very appealing collection of
incense, luminaries, fragrance and body care, all handcrafted in India.
They also have products tailored for men. www.maromausa.com 
9. Mayan Hands - I love supporting and encouraging others that work with artisans in Guatemala. I think Mayan Hands has been doing good in Guatemala for as long as I have. And that's a long time! You'll find some terrific Christmas ornaments on their site. For gifts, you must check out their pine needle baskets. They really are fabulous. www.mayanhands.org 
10. Mehera Shaw
- You'll have to search the Mehera Shaw site to discover all that they
do. They've been working with artisans in Jaipur, India since 1999 and
offer a wide selection of modern clothing and accessories. They even
have Christmas stockings and ornaments for sale. www.meherashaw.com
12. Nativa
- Nativa is all about fine Mexican clothing. If you know me, you know
I'm crazy for beautiful embroidery work. I'm certain you'll also be
drooling over this company's fine crafted blouses, dresses and
children's wear. They even have yoga bags. www.nativashop.com 
13. One World Fair Trade
- Looking for a wide range of gifts? One World's site might be the
perfect one stop shop for you. I've been working with the One World team
for many years and I can personally attest to their sophisticated and well designed choices. www.oneworldfairtrade.net 
15. Shop With A Mission
- It surprises me that I didn't know about this website until I started
researching for this article. Heavenly Treasures/Shop With A Mission
has been a Fair Trade Federation member since 2010 and their US offices
are located in Southern California. (Gee, I've obviously been living in a bubble.)
After checking out their site, I am marveled by their wide selection of
fair trade gifts. You'll certainly find some great ideas here. www.shopwithamission.com 
16. Women's Peace Collection - The Women's Peace Collection is a social enterprise that helps women
around the world by supporting their work and entrepreneurship. They currently offer jewelry, accessories (including some cold weather gloves that are super yummy), home decor and children's toys. Oh yes, and a few Dunitz designs, too! www.womenspeacecollection.com
So there you have it! A perfect list of 17 fabulous retail fair trade websites where you can take care of all your gift purchasing needs. You will find great gifts and if you have time, each one of these sites shares their unique stories. Stories of how they began working in fair trade. Stories of their artisans from varying countries. Stories of how fair trade makes a difference. And with the knowledge of how all these companies are making a difference, you will have a better understanding of how your purchases are also making a difference in so many lives.
