Top Places To Buy Fair-Trade/Socially-Conscious Gifts

You can shop with your conscience, not just with your wallet, at fair trade stores. These retailers, created with as much idealism and social conscience as with start-up capital specialize in hand-made, artisan goods from around the world. The chain from producers to retail sales is both idealistic and practical. Organizations help villagers, often women, in developing countries set up and run local cooperatives that gather local goods and distribute them to the wider world. Here are a few worth checking out.

JUNA Boutique

1205 Washington Ave.
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 278-2111
junaboutique.com

For four years JUNA Boutique Owner Joan Marash has sought out products from around the globe and caters to ladies of all sizes – petite to curvy. From clothes to jewelry to accessories, JUNA stocks fair trade items not found in most large department stores. Lines include Earth Creations, HT Naturals, Indigenous, Jonan, Synergy, Tribe and more. Marash can even special order from Natya, a dressy vintage line. You'll also find a selection of silk, alpaca, goat mohair and hemp-blend scarves, alpaca slipper socks, soaps and bath salts.

MomentuM

1625 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 440-7744
ourmomentum.com

MomentuM is a quintessentially Boulder store – bright, interesting, idealistic with an array of inspiring goods, and set in a beautiful space just east of the Pearl Street Mall. Lines come from all the corners of the world and represent both traditional and invented crafts. Asha Imports (asha means hope in Bengali) supplies such timeless goods as sari blankets and scarves in a rainbow of brilliant colors. The Batsiranai Craft Project utilizes simple and clever crafts like recycled bottlecaps fashioned into earrings that provide work for disadvantaged women in Harare, Zimbabwe. Mr. Ellie Pooh does better than making silk purses from sows' ears. The program converts elephant dung into sustainable papyrus-style paper, thereby saving Sri Lankan elephants from slaughter. Closer to home is Green Glass in Wisconsin, which converts empty, discarded bottles into elegant glassware.

Ten Thousand Villages

2626 E.3rd Ave.
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 316-8773
denver.tenthousandvillages.com

Ten Thousand Villages has spent more than 60 years not only talking the fair trade talk but walking the fair trade retailer walk. The Denver store is one of more than 390 outlets in a national non-profit network selling artisan-crafted home décor, handmade gifts, jewelry, art, textiles and accessories from 38 countries. The Cherry Creek North store is always bustling. Not surprising given the variety of well-priced merchandise such as an etched gourd mother and baby owl box from Peru, soapstone hippo sculpture from Kenya, Egyptian brass mirror, napkins and placemats from India, and handwoven Ugandan rafia basketry. Odds are if you buy a gift here, the recipient won't already have the same thing.

Whole Foods Market

Multiple Locations
wholefoods.com

Known for its organic and eco-friendly groceries, Whole Foods also retails a number of fair trade clothing and gift item brands. Depending on store size you may find a smattering items scattered among the aisles or entire shelves full. This is one time when it pays to cruise the entire store as you never know what treasure awaits. We've found fingerless knit gloves by Andes Gifts, sustainable apparel by Threads 4 Thought, Fabel Hats & Headwear which uses only pure cotton, wool and recycled materials and Hugo Naturals soap (sold by the ounce). The Global Girlfriend line has fair trade scarves, jewelry and bags made in India, Bolivia and Bangladesh. And you can even let the kiddos amuse themselves with The Original Green Toys – trucks, bots, tools and more made from 100% recyclable materials. To carry your goodies home, consider colorful African Market baskets woven in Ghana.

-- Mile High Cheapskates Claire Walter & Laura Daily keep Denver/Boulder residents informed about the latest deals, discounts and freebies at MileHighOnTheCheap.com