Some of you may know I belong to the local Etsy group which is called the Etsy NY Street Team. This consists of the makers who sell on Etsy who live in New York City. Our group is amazing and we have over 250 members! I volunteer with this group and I sell at the Etsy NY markets. As I was reading the press release I was reminded of something. "...organizing local artisans to connect and educate the wider world on the positive impacts and overall human value in promoting and buying handmade". The human value. I have been taking a class at Fashion Institute of Technology called Ethical Fashion. And this is one of the things we discuss in the class. I worked in mass market. I worked with factories overseas. I sat behind a computer and designed, sent the tech pack to a factory somewhere in China or India. A few weeks later an article of clothing came back. Seeing the same thing made over and over again with no uniqueness is what drove me to start my own company. But also when you buy something from your local shop instead of a large corporation you support your neighborhood, the lifestyle you live in and the people who own the business. I live in a cute section of Brooklyn called Park Slope. Many mom and pop shops are closing because rents go up. What opens in place of them are nail salons or the space remains empty for years. We moved here because we like all of the little shops. People don't seem to connect the two. It's important that we all support local farms, local makers, local businesses. Make the effort.
Click here for the press release.
Tracey