• I spent $81.00 yesterday on office supplies at Staples. Small business is not cheap. What is cheap is poor people working in substandard conditions in some less developed countries. I saw some very cute sewn fingerpuppets at a Pier One-like import store yesterday. It was obviously a lot of work to make them. You know what they cost? $7.00! It's just too sad... Someone very skilled is being paid next to nothing to create this stuff.
Reason # 1 to buy handmade: You know the person making the item has set their own price, and chosen their own working conditions, and gets a lot of joy from making what you buy.
I'm going to be posting more reasons as we head into the holiday shopping season. Just to keep you feeling good for maybe spending a tad more, but doing the right thing.
• Oh, I also got all this cool fabric today, for future handpuppets (too exciting-- I love buying fabric and already have way too much-- but all these were only $2.69/yard)
• Got this cool tissue,too, to wrap all your orders in:
• Speaking of handmade things, I'm going to the Common Ground Fair this weekend. Sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), they always have lots of great crafters there, as well as other vendors, fun-to-look-at livestock, lots of great organic food, and organic produce to buy.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
4 comments:
What great fabric!
It's so true about supporting handmade. It really is a shame that people aren't getting paid, and that things are being produced outside of America too. It hurts everyone involved. I am glad that you are posting about this.
I also just spent a loud at Staples. It seems I am always short something and it always ends up being close to $100. Yuck. Things made by hand and in this country are getting harder. Went to get tools from depot come to find out none of their handtools are made in the states anymore. Ahh what is the country coming to. I make cards hand made all different. China makes cards "handmade" to I can't compete. Not that I have a place to sell them anyway.
I know what you mean, Alex. I saw some of those handmade cards imported from maybe China at Borders and they were so cute, and so cheap, and I just felt sad because all us crafty folks trying to make a living at handmade just can't compete with those big companies that are explioting and taking advantage of people to make that stuff in countires where they can get away with paying them next to nothing. I know those folks need to make a living, too... I just wish there was a better way...where they could be paid a living wage and so could people in our country who run small businesses.
But I rant on. At least the only Sweatshop labor I use is my mom, who sews my basic puppet bodies... and she's a willing worker (heehee).
Welcome to Maine, Brandie! The fair was wonderful--weather was perfect and so much fun stuff to see (I'm going to post pics of my fair purchases this week). I just went as a regular person, not a vendor, though some year I plan to be a vendor--it's a big undertaking because SO MANY people attend.
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