SEATTLE - Tucked behind the cabin-like storefront in Ballard's historic district, you'll find a shop that specializes in the socially-conscious unique -- Market Street Traders is a place where the cloth dolls support Thai orphanages that rescue children from the sex trade, where Christmas ornaments promote peace between Rwandan villages.
Woolen hats from Nepal, wooden kitchen utensils from Vietnam, even paper made from elephant droppings -- all have a cause.
Not for long, though, it seems.
Market Street Traders is locally-owned -- but as a fair trade shop the sales here are helping 10,000 people around the world, said its owners.
“We buy something, the money goes back to the village," said owner Tammy James. "It's a cycle, they have money to buy more materials [and make more items].”
The Fair Trade Federation defines fair trade as "a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in international trading system."
Andy and Tammy James describe it more like buying as close as possible to the source, with guarantees of good working conditions and wages for the makers.
"Most people do not want a handout," said Tammy. "They want to be successful and feed their families and send their children to school."
In fact, the James said their store was the product of something just like that.
On a trip to Thailand two years ago, the couple bought $500 worth of crafts. They are fourth-generation owners of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in downtown Seattle, and expected to sell the crafts at their store.
“$500 for a retail store... It’s like a little fill-in order," said Tammy. "But for them it was huge… we found out later after we left the village, that with that money they were going to send that entire village of kids, which was 50 kids, to school for a whole year.”
"We didn't realize the impact we were really doing," said Andy.
"It just kind of sent chills up our spine," said Tammy. "We just couldn't stop thinking about it, and what a great feeling, and what else could we do?"
So the whole plane ride home, they brainstormed. They decided to transform a business they were already planning to open Seattle's Ballard neighborhood -- the result were nativity figures from Bangladesh, a mannequin wearing clothes from three continents, and some fair trade coffee in their cafe.
Market Street Traders opened just after Thanksgiving in 2007, and today impacts up to 10,000 people through its various products, said the James.
But the James's story may be short-lived, at least compared to their hopes.
Last year something happened they didn't expect: the recession.
"We kind of just opened maybe at the wrong time," said Tammy. "Kind of the world's perfect storm."
"When this economic thing hit last year, our sales just went down dramatically," said Andy.
The James' said a large part may be the discretionary aspect of their inventory -- while their items may be diverse and unique, they say only some of it is what people would consider functional.
They plan to sell the building and close their store in mid-January, a familiar story to many shops during the economic downturn, but Tammy James says she feels a much heavier responsibility because of how many people rely on their business. She said they hope to turn Market Street Traders into an online-only store, with some of their inventory to sell at their other shop.
“No matter what happens, whichever way we take this store, it will still be life changing," said Tammy, adding that it's a lesson in "how little steps that people can do can change a whole village.”
Or even the world.
