3/24/08

It's a Girl!

 Viva Simmons was born on March 5th to her proud parents Sarah and Abram, and her brother Cosmo. 

The whole family is healthy and delighted to be entering a new year with this beautiful little girl.  Sarah will be taking some much deserved maternity leave from the retail store, but will be at home getting our online orders mailed out and new product photographed.  We are well into Oregon's Spring Break out here in Manzanita and the quiet downtown is once again bustling with families enjoying the cold spring sunshine on the beach.  Kites are flying, dogs are everywhere and the kids are soaking up a small sample of summer vacations ahead.  We are ordering our new inventory at this time, stocking up for the busy coastal season.  Now more than ever we are focusing on the website as we hope to promote its first year to our summer customers.  If you are heading to the beach this week, our store hours are 11am-5pm everyday until April 6th for the spring breaker rush.  Then we will return to regular spring hours of Thursday- Monday 11am-5pm until Memorial Day weekend when we go full steam ahead everyday through summer.  Please stop back to our site and visit us as we add new fair trade fun products! 

3/1/08

Spring is finally arriving!  We have had the most glorious 12 days of sun this February.  The camelia bushes are blooming and daffodils are opening their bright faces to the unusual warmth.  Sarah is due to give birth next week!  We are very excited for a new addition to our fair trade family.  We will post pictures of the new arrival as soon as he or she is born.  We are working to optimize this website and work out the kinks for our busy summer season ahead.  Stay tuned for Easter gifts of fair trade chocolate and mini baskets from Ghana!

1/04/08

Happy New Year!  2007 was a year of great change for Sarah and I.  We both became home owners for the first time- and are now experiencing the first rest after all that building, moving, financing and celebrating. Luckily if you want rest, you couldn't find a more peaceful place to curl up and dream than here on the misty rain drenched Oregon coast.  It's once again storming, rain and winds expected to be gusting up to 75mph.  But after our BIG storm that doesn't seem like such a big blow to us.  We are spending our slow and sleepy winter months working on this website!  Getting lots of great fair trade merchandise online, and adding more pictures of us and our town.  We're hoping you stop back and check to see what Valentine's surprises we come up with.   Ghanian dark chocolate, Mexican sacred hearts, Kenyan carved soapstone hearts and much more! 

 Speaking of Kenyan hearts- Our hearts go out to our producers in Kenya at this time of political upheaval.  We wish them safety and security as their country erupts around them.  We know that the loving hands that carve so many of the beautiful artworks in our store are capable of shaping a brighter future for Kenya and East Africa. Peace and love to you our brothers and sisters in fair trade!

12/14/07

Happy Holidays!  The Whos in the Whoville of Manzanita are finally getting around to remembering that Christmas is right around the corner.  Wreaths are being crafted from windblown branches and trees that fell over during last week's hurricane are finding new life as Christmas trees.  We here at It's Only Fair are getting in the spirit as well, listening to holiday world music  in the store and setting out our yearly international nativities display.  Next Saturday there will be local caroling and a Christmas tree lighting next door in Howell's Square.  We are going to stay open late and offer everything in the shop for 10% off, there may even be free fair trade chocolate and stocking stuffers for shoppers as well!  If you are in Manzanita stop down for some small town holiday cheer and to support our local businesses. We are shipping next day for all web orders so if you can't make it to the coast for Christmas- let us mail some fair trade Manzanita to you! 

Have a wonderful holiday!  Safe travels!

love Ginger and Sarah

12/8/07

We survived the first ever hurricane force storm to hit the Oregon Coast!  We are still without power after almost a week but the store will re-open this weekend by candle light for people who need to purchase their holiday gifts in time to ship to friends and family.  Manzanita was hard hit by the storm with winds reported as high as 130 mph (before the wind monitor broke off). There were trees and power lines down on almost every street and Nehalem (our sister village 2 miles south) suffered flooding as well.  Many folks are still without heat, hot water, electricity and a way to cook food.  Some have lost running water due to electric pumps that carry water to homes up NeahKahnie Mtn. Our homes were spared with some close calls as the big coastal spruce and hemlock trees came crashing down on rooftops and roads all over the area.  Overall there were few deaths and injuries reported and for that we are grateful.  One death that we are very sad to report was a close friend of ours who passed over during the storm due to advanced esophagus and stomach cancer at the age of 40. Andrew Gorman was a member of our coastal family who will be missed by all.  He leaves behind his two beautiful children Poppy and Leo and lots of memories of laughing at his jokes.  Rest in Peace Andrew- we have dubbed the first Oregon hurricane after you.

Due to the storm damage we are checking our website at the few places that are running on generator power or when we escape to friends homes in Portland.  We are shipping orders as soon as we get them- and in many places can get your gifts to you in a few days. Thank you for your support!  Have a safe and happy holiday season.

love Ginger (at Dan and Persephone's computer in Portand)

11/23/07

Happy Holidays!  Our new website is finally ready  for your Fair Trade shopping needs.  We have been working hard and will continue to add many more products so check back often!  If you are a new shopper to our store, we are a locally owned Fair Trade retail shop called "It's  Only Fair" located  at 306 Laneda Ave in beautiful coastal Manzanita OR.  Everything on our site and in our shop is made using Fair Trade principles.  This ensures that all of our products are produced by artisans earning living wages, who are engaged in long term trading partnerships and have safe and democratic work  environments. The story of each of our Fair trade partner groups can be found  below their products on our site.

About us: We are two women living on the Oregon coast and making our living from our locally owned and operated small Fair Trade business.  We hope to use this blog on our website to keep you updated on local events and all the exciting adventures of our lives as we grow and prosper. 

The website is a new chapter for us and we are excited to meet our online community. 

Happy Holidays everyone!  Thank your for supporting Fair Trade and small businesses!!

Love and Peace,

Sarah (and her Cosmo and Viva) pictured above and Ginger (and her djembe) pictured below and above.