The latest news

It is with deepest gratitude for everything we have learned, for each friend and connection we have made, for all the fun and even the hard work of the past 5 years that we write to tell you we are closing up Small Planet Trading on December 31st. It simply has not reached an adequate level of sustainability that would allow us to continue.

FAQ--

Are we sad about this?  Absolutely.  We sit in the ambiguity of grieving what has been but also feeling the liberation of letting go and recognizing the end of a season. We know that the vision and inspiration that created Small Planet Trading go with us into our next adventures. 

Do we think there is a future for fair trade and sustainably run business in the Gorge?  Absolutely,  We continue to believe that in the next 5-10 years most businesses will be shifting to more sustainable practices.  We have had 5 years of being at the fore front of that shift at the retail level.  Now we are ready to release our energies from this angle and put them towards another place in the movement.  We know there is no shortage of opportunity and look forward to finding our new places in the future.

Are we ready to explore what’s next now?  Not really.  We plan to focus on  closure with Small Planet over the next couple months first. 

What’s the plan for the rest of the year?
We are fully stocked for the Holiday Season and ready to help you find the unique and meaningful gifts that you love to give. Come shop today for the best selection. Throughout the holidays we'll be keeping our regular schedule and be here for business as you've come to expect it with a Small Planet flare-- goodies on the sample table, high quality handmade housewares and gifts, reasonable prices, and the Alternative Gift Fair in the shop for your giving convenience.

December 27-31 we'll be open every day with a final sale of any remaining inventory.

Will there be special sale prices before Christmas? No, much of what you see in the shop still belongs to the artist or Fair Trade wholesaler until you purchase it, so we don't control those prices. But after Christmas, any inventory left that we own will be discounted for quick sale.

Is the store still for sale? Why yes, if you or someone you know would love to own a wonderful, established shop, it is still for sale. 

Is there anything I can do to help?
Yes, continue to shop at Small Planet through the year and bring your friends.  Support our letting go with a understanding comment or two but know that we are beyond the time of debating the merits of should we stay or should we go. 

We look forward to enjoying the shop and you all for the rest of the year.  DeLona and Karen

A different view

Having never taken a business class or marketing course, we at Small Planet Trading tend to forge our own way in the world of business.

Many times people, usually friends who care about our "bottom line", tell us that we are too generous.  That is one way of looking at some of the choices we make in regards to business-- donating 25% of sales on Common Good Thursdays or offering you discounts and prizes for our special events, even our daily sample table.

A different view of those business decisions are actually a lot less philanthropic-- we are first and foremost a business that only exists because people spend money buying our goods.  We know that you have many choices in where to spend your money.  Businesses compete for your attention through marketing and branding.  This is big money.  There are many different ways to play in the marketing business-- print, radio, tv, magazines, maps, guides, signage, and the list goes on.

Our marketing budget is limited and often non-existent.  So we try to be creative with the free options, like this blog.  But we also think that using our marketing to further other goals is a great way to leverage our most important marketing opportunity-- you telling your friends to come in and shop.  So yes, we feature your favorite causes and donate a good chunk of your purchases.  And we give you discounts and prizes, because we'd rather spend our marketing budget on you.  It may not be very traditional, and it's not the fastest way to gain customers, but we like it, and we hope you do too.


So, don't hesitate to shop Friday, October 1 through Sunday the 3rd. Everything in the store is 20% off PLUS you can Spin to Win prizes.

And tell your friends to come in too.  (We'd love it if you became a fan on Facebook and re-posted the sale!)

Thanks for 5 years.
DeLona and Karen

Sustainable Lunches

School is starting again soon and so, like many parents, I'm thinking about lunches.  Three kids and their parents eating a meal outside of the house each day can be a challenge in many ways.  I don't have any new secrets for how to get kids to eat what you put in the lunch-- but I do have some kid-tested ways to pack up the food that will lighten the load on your wallet and  planet earth.

Recently I saw a statistic that every year 20 million plastic sandwich baggies go in to the trash-- I have no idea if that is a true number, but even if it's just a rough estimate it's still a staggering thought.  So what's a busy mom/dad/student to do? Wrap it all up in re-usable, unique gear!

Moms often tell me that their kids always throw out their baggies or plastic containers, so they worry about sending re-usable bags or wraps-- but our products are so colorful, fun and interesting that the kids do not mistake them for a disposable item.  Let them choose their own wrap or baggies and they will reuse them all year long.

Lunch boxes made from recycled drink bags
Why we love them:
Easy open/close zipper for all ages
Easy wipe out cleaning 
Thermal-- keep food cold with a cold pack or cold drink
Colorful and original-- no two exactly alike
Made by a women's cooperative the The Philippines with a local Hood River company

Wraps
Why we love them: 
Wrap the food, secure with velcro, unwrap and use as an instant place mat,  throw in the wash or wipe for easy clean up  
Keeps food fresh 
Made in Hood River by a local mom

Baggies
Why we love them: 
Easy to use, easy to wash  
All different sizes  
Colorful and unique  
Made from scrap fabric in Hood River

Klean Kanteen bottles
Why we love them:
Several sizes with different drinking tops for different ages 
Traditional single-walled stainless steel or thermal wide mouth
Ethically made for people and the planet

We've also got stainless steel food carriers, locally made napkins, and a variety of cute bags to carry it all in.  No more worries about what to send the lunch in-- so you can use your creativity on what food to experiment with instead.

It's about creative connections

What do we sell at Small Planet that is both eco-friendly and Fair Trade and appeals to Harley Davidson enthusiasts, teenage boys, and hip fashionistas?  How about a messenger bag made from recycled inner tubes?

Messenger bags, purses, wallets, cellphone bags... all made in Nepal in partnership with Ganesh Himal Trading.  Since 1984 Denise and Ric at Ganesh Himal have been working with many of the same craftspeople.  They have on-going relationships that continue to grow and, from what I can tell, become more creative each year.  Recycled rubber bags are just one example of how a love of people and the planet can produce creative connections near and far.

Sadle, the Nepali group of artists who make the rubber bags, care about fair trade, worker's rights and the environment.  Denise says, "They are passionate about promoting Nepali goods that benefit the environment."  Besides recycled rubber, they create useful goods from wild hemp, no-kill leather, and organic cotton using vegetable dyes.

A garage business across from Sadle would burn used inner tubes to dispose of them.  Sadle's manager, Aryal who also lives in the neighborhood, couldn't stand the black smoke and pollution.  The Salde group knew there had to be a creative solution-- so they decided there had to be something they could make from the inner tubes. 

Aryal asked the other businessman if he could have the inner tubes.  The man was thrilled to get rid of them.  Then Aryal consulted with one of Sadle's customers to design a simple bag.  Soon after, Denise, Ric and their son Cameron were in Nepal and saw the prototype.  They thought it was fantastic and worked on the first two designs for Ganesh Himal Trading.  They were an immediate hit and more designs were quickly in the works.

The garage owner then realized he had a sell-able commodity, instead of "trash".  He can now sell the inner tubes which increases his revenue and encourages re-use.  Ganesh Himal and Sadle continue to design distinctive new items and have incorporated wild hemp, to feature wild fibers of Nepal.

The bags have been such a hit that they are hard to keep in stock and Sadle is buying used inner tubes from various sources to stockpile and try and keep up with demand.

Creative connections for people, the planet, and prosperity for all, just a typical day in Fair Trade. 

--DeLona

Creativity, Convenience and plastic "spills"

Most of us agree that single-use plastic shopping bags are a convenience as well as a nuisance.  Small Planet is always on the look out for more creative options for you-- currently in stock we have shopping bags made from recycled juice bags, from cotton, from fabric ends and re-purposed fabric, and from recycled billboards.  Those are just the bags, don't even get me started on the carrying baskets.  But single-use bags are still the norm for many shopping experiences and each day contribute to the environmental degradation of the planet.

Plastic bags are made from petroleum.  They are made far away and travel around the world prior to use.  They don't hold much and are prone to ripping, and so more are used than needed.  They are hard to recycle and cause problems when recycled improperly.  They end up flying away and being swept to the water and out to the ocean.

Which takes us to the ocean.  It's not news that there is a massive amount of plastic caught in the currents out in the Pacific-- but that has been on my mind as the news of the gulf oil spill continues to make daily headlines.  See, that plastic "island" is a type of oil spill too-- plastic is petroleum in another form and it doesn't totally go away, but breaks down in to shiny bits that sea animals  and birds eat, or that simply turns the ocean into a toxic mess.

I understand that single-use bags are most convenient-- and I've been wondering lately if convenience doesn't often kill our more creative urges.  I know for myself that when I take the convenient route--whether it is with a shopping choice, a plan for my day with kids, or whatever, that the end result is way less interesting or fulfilling than when I get just a bit creative.

So this week Small Planet Trading is signing on to support Environment Oregon's Ban the Plastic Bag Campaign.  Check out their website for the nitty-gritty details.  I have heard all the alternative ideas- from incentives, to taxes, to letting the market find the solution and consumer advocacy -- all great ideas.  In the end, there will need to be parts of each of these ideas to get at the change that is needed.  So why a ban?  So we can say that the plastic spill in the ocean is unacceptable.  It's enough.  And to allow a space for the more creative options to come through.

Want to be a part of kicking off the campaign in Hood River?  Come on down to the shop of Thursday the 15th at 10:30 for a press conference and be a part of the change.  --DeLona

The next step...

Small Planet Trading will turn 5 soon.  Since we have an active 5-year-old boy living in our midst-- we know how amazing 5 years old is:  full of fun, so much is still new, learning through everything he touches, changing right before our eyes.  Having a business often feels like raising children-- you have high expectations and hopes, you give it lots of love, and you have to trust that all will turn out well in the end.

Since the beginning of Small Planet, back when we were Pachamama, we've been an eclectic group of women with a vision of a retail store but also something more. We started with Fair Trade hand-made imports, mostly gifts for the holidays and grew to include local artists and manufactured products for earth-friendly living.  We've always held ourselves and our artist partners and suppliers to high standards for how people and the earth are treated.  We have hoped to be a sustainable, long term member of the Gorge community.

Life goes on amidst the daily realities of business, and each person involved at Small Planet has seen many life changes over the years-- some planned for and some unexpected.  Change has been the only constant.  So it is not surprising that we find ourselves in the midst of the next change.  If you have visited us at the store recently you may have noticed, or have heard us talk about the latest stage of development.

We continue to work for a sustainable future for Small Planet.  At this moment, Small Planet needs more investment than we are able to offer it.  It needs capital for inventory, marketing and continued investments, and it needs an investment of time.  Because we see clearly what could be, we are offering the business for sale in the hopes that the right person or people will have a vision that includes Small Planet and the investment to grow it to the next stage.

Don't worry, Small Planet isn't going anywhere.  We'll be here, working in the midst of change to offer more products you need and want from amazing craftspeople around the world.  If an outright buyer isn't in the near future, we'll be open to other creative solutions.

How you can help:

• Tell people about the wonderful opportunity to own an established social enterprise.
• Have creative ideas for keeping Small Planet vibrant? We're happy to hear them, send them our way.
• Shop and support Small Planet Trading-- and tell your friends-- We are first and foremost a retail store, so people purchasing our goods is the only way we pay the rent.

Thank you for being on this journey with us.  Again just like parenting, it takes a village to support and grow a vibrant local economy.  You truly do vote with your dollar (or RiverHour) and we appreciate it each time you entrust that vote with us.  --DeLona and Karen

Sustainable Smudging

We had two customers special order smudge sticks in the last couple weeks - enough this month to nudge our favorite wild plants vender, Juniper Ridge to the top of the "to be ordered" list.  Smudge sticks are not one of our signature items like prayer flags or fair trade chocolate, nor are they very noteworthy to the casual shopper the way any of our items made from recycled materials are.

Instead it's the item that a dedicated customer gets in her car and drives 5 miles into town for, scouts around a 2 block radius to find a parking space for, walks directly in the shop to the smudge corner, makes her choice without a glance at anything else and heads to the cash register for.  It's the item that quietly, unobtrusively sells out quicker than we can get the word out that they're back in.  Those who smudge regularly like to be stocked and will go out of their way for a good smudge stick. 

And ours are good!  From the moment the plants are sustainably wildcrafted (carefully harvested in the heart of their range) "from the mountains and deserts of the West", bundled into sticks, and packaged in vegetable based biodegradable plastic - Juniper Ridge does it right.  

And how exactly do you use a smudge stick? Here's what  Juniper Ridge has to say on their website, "Smudge sticks are the most natural form of incense—they’re just wild plant trimmings, nothing else. Just light the tip on fire, blow out the flame and let it smolder. Extinguish with sand or water when you are done. They’re also great in the fireplace."

We have 3 varieties in stock at the moment - 

White Sage:  Traditionally used to clear spaces of stale, or negative air, feelings, and energies.  When a change is in order sage is your herb to move out the old.  Found in the rugged mountains of the Southwest, Sage is used  ceremonially in purification rituals. 

Western Red Cedar:  "In the Pacific Northwest, the people burn cedar for purification in much the same way as sage - it drives out negative energy; but it also brings in good influences. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise by Pacific Northwest tribes, and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers." (http://www.asunam.com/smudge_ceremony.html

Mugwort:  Described best on the JR website, "Mugwort, also known as Dream Weed for its unique ability to stimulate dreams, is found in the mountains of the West Coast from California north through British Columbia. It is renowned as a smudging herb for its subtle, sweet scent and dream-inducing qualities. So burn a little before you go to sleep and dream sweet dreams of wildflower meadows heavy with the smell of the waning winter rains and new green life rising all around you."

Get 'em while they last!


Karen

Hope in Haiti

Common Good Thursday is back on May 20th to raise money for Haiti Foundation of Hope, a non profit that has been at work in Haiti building schools and clinics  for the past 20 years.  The organization has it's U.S. base in Vancouver, Washington and maintains a low overhead ensuring effective use of donations on the ground in Haiti.  Other programs Foundations of Hope is involved in include micro-loan, community health, clean water and a woman's trade school.

Next Thursday Small Planet Trading will share Haiti Foundation of Hope information and donate 25% of the day's sales to their work.  Come support Fair Trade, kids, and community development in Haiti!

A few World Fair Trade Day Photos

Fair Trade My Home Photo Contest

Win Fair Trade prizes!
Show us the funny, beautiful
and meaningful ways you use
Fair Trade goods at home.

Send or bring photos to Small
Planet Trading and we'll include
them in our Fair Trade My Home
Photo Exhibit and enter you
in the photo contest! 

PRIZES! 
$25 Gift Certificate for
most beautiful
$25 Gift Certificate for
most funny

Submit photos to:
Small Planet Trading
202 Cascade Ave.
Hood River, OR 97031
info@smallplanettrading.com

Winners will be announced on
Saturday, May 8th - at the
World Fair Trade Day Event!

Photograph captions should accompany
all submissions, and should include the
subject of the image, the location the
image was taken, and photographer contact
details.

By entering the contest you grant to Small
Planet Trading the right to use your photo
and caption in promotions and other
publications, both specifically related to Fair
Trade and World Fair Trade Day.

Hail to the Kale (& Broccoli)!

Thoughts on an apple core

A customer came in the store the other day eating an apple.  As he finished, he asked if I had a trash can he so he could toss the core.  When I opened our little BioBag compost pale for him, he got a funny look on his face.

"Is that for compost?" he asked.  "Sure is," I answered.

Still holding the core, he took his time looking at the contents of my food waste bag-- so I looked too.  Coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags from our sample table, an avocado peel from Karen's lunch the day before, my own latest apple core poking out below-- pretty typical for a Small Planet week. 

"What do you do with it?" he asked.

"Oh, take it home to my compost pile," I said.

He tossed the core in and gave me a big smile, "I could do that too."

I must have looked amused, because he continued.  "No, I mean, I compost at home but at my office we just throw all of the food stuff in the trash.  We make coffee, have snacks or lunches.  I never thought about taking it home."

At Small Planet we usually take home two small bags of food waste a week plus a large bag of recyclables.  That means that what is left to go to the landfill is usually a very small bag once a week or less.  Every office or workspace would be different, but adding a food waste container in the break room or near the coffee maker is an easy start.  Our Biobag compostable bags make this easy and mess-free too. 

Earth Day is coming up-- why not green the office today?

Oh, and BioBags are the April Special on our webshop-- email us if you also need us to send along the handy food waste bucket too.  --DeLona

Watch Our Veggies Grow...but hold the Brussel Sprouts

There are veggies growing in the window of Small Planet Trading.  They are tiny little spurts of green at the moment, not really much to look at, but I find myself checking on them several times a day.  They have the most wonderful names:  Rosa Bianca Eggplant, Space Spinach, Packman Broccoli, Green Zebra Tomato, Cherokee Purple Tomato, Winterbor Kale and more.

When the Hood River County Historical Museum asked if downtown businesses would like to feature a local farm in their window to promote the Farm Life exhibit and series we thought it would be fun but had no idea what we could put in the window that would represent Farm Life.  Luckily Nick and Kristin Walrod at Dancing Moon Farm knew exactly what to do.  These plants really do say it all.  Growing.  Food.  History.  Newness.  Soil.  Risk. 

I am grateful to live so close to where my food is grown.  To get to know the people who make it their life passion to bring amazing vegetables and fruit to my table.  Being a part of a CSA has allowed me to try new foods and meet new people.  I like that my boys understand where their food comes from and what it means to eat with the seasons.  It has also given them a unique sense of food choices too.

My youngest son Mateo, when asked what food was his least favorite recently said, "Brussel Sprouts."

"Um, have you actually eaten Brussel Sprouts?" I asked.

"No, and I don't want to.  Please don't buy any."

I had to smile.  "OK," I answered.  "I won't, but if we get any in our farm box, we'll have to try them."

He looked at me for a minute and then smiled.  "I'll just ask Lucy to tell her dad not to plant any." 

I had to laugh and felt a deep gratitude that at 8 years old he has such an easy connection to his food.  I hope it's one he'll always have.    --DeLona

Come on by and watch the veggie starts grow.  Or check back here for more photos.

Time to Sprout!

Recently I attended a gathering celebrating the Spring Equinox.  A farming friend shared an update that inspired the following thoughts. 

Out in the fields, orchards, and gardens it's a time of rebirth, green sprouts, and new growth.  It's also a time of cold nights, final frosts, and hardening off.  In short it's a risky moment!  New growth is bursting forth yet without any guarantee that it will survive.  In fact there's a good chance some of it won't.  A call for vulnerability with very little security.  Apparently that's what being vulnerable is all about; choosing to sprout, jump in with both feet, launch out into the river without any attachment to what the outcome or ultimate destination will be.  Kind of like Easter eggs that  kids love to dye and decorate and then remain uneaten in the fridge for weeks.  Apparently being vulnerable is more about the process than the product. 

For you too the time for conserving your energy and hibernating is over.  This is a moment to get out there. Pursue something fabulous that has been calling to you.  Take action on that possibility that has been marinating over the winter.  Be emboldened by the germinating seeds and bright green buds to expand out regardless of what cold nights or set backs may come.  Trust in what the seeds know; while not all will survive, many will.  The important thing is to open up and allow life to flow.  Let go of knowing when, where, or how long.  And in the words of my friend, Anne Key, ". . get ready to be swept into the heady and glorious flood of new life!"

Karen

BALLE in the Gorge!

This week, Becky Brun, editor of Sustainable Industries magazine and Hood River resident, is presenting the possibility of establishing a BALLE Network in the Gorge to the Downtown Business Association! Becky, along with a group of local, independent business owners has been exploring the logistics of forming a local chapter of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) for the past several months.

What the heck is BALLE, you ask?

BALLE has more than 80 chapters throughout the country (including 2 in Oregon and 6 in Washington), representing 21,000 independent business owners. Each chapter has its own unique characteristics and goals, but they are all focused on helping strengthen local economies while preserving the ecosystem on which they depend for raw materials, employees, clients and more.

As the co-owner of a local small business guided by principles of economic and ecological sustainability we've often felt like salmon swimming upstream - traversing the direction we must go but often wondering why it has to be so hard. BALLE aims to support small business on the journey to increased outreach, innovation, and local connection. We fully support the opportunity to create a BALLE chapter in the Gorge. Establishing a structure for collaborating with other independently run businesses on issues of sustainability, education and marketing, and long-term community vibrancy would be an amazing opportunity that would benefit all local residents!

Becky is currently forming a Steering Committee, which will help determine the geographic focus of the organization, its initial goals, its membership structure, and more. If you are interested in learning more, email Becky at becky@sustainableindustries.com.

Stay tuned for an update this Spring!

Karen

Love and Retail

Love and Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Love—For the last few weeks I’ve been bombarded with a wide variety of thoughts on the upcoming holiday: Friends on Facebook feeling lonely or sad this season. Grade school age boys at home making 24 valentine’s cards to share at school, complete with traced hearts and barely legible names. My middle school aged son carefully making a duct tape rose for his first sweetheart. My Auntie’s emails organizing a family dinner of extended cousins, just a few of the descendants of my great-grandmother Goldie Valentine Huffington Hattenhauer, to remember Grandma on her birthday. And of course, red and pink hearts everywhere I turn.

Growing up with a great-grandmother who had Valentine’s Day as her birthday and a mother who taught grade school and loved all things holiday—Valentine’s Day for me is a sweet, family affair of a day. I enjoy continuing the traditions with my kids and seeing cousins I wish I kept in better contact with throughout the year.

Now as a retailer, I also have to see Valentine’s Day as a way to get the February bills paid. Yep, I need people to shop—and so you’ll find a Valentine’s Day display right in the entrance to Small Planet and red and pink strategically placed throughout the shop. We even have a chocolate sale going on this week. The constant pull in my psyche of wanting to help people live lighter and easier on the earth, and frankly needing them to spend money to be able to keep going can leave me feeling ambivalent about holidays all year round.

So what’s a reluctant retailer to do? Well, at Small Planet Trading we make it a practice not to buy things just because they are for a holiday—you won’t find things in the shop this week that we wouldn’t be willing to stock year round. The Good Clean Love oils make a sexy gift for that special day, but also can increase sexual health all year through. Kisii soapstone hearts from Kenya, Olivewood hearts from Bethlehem, heart earrings from Honduras are each lovingly handcrafted by an artist who benefits from you enjoying their work any day of the year.
 
Come in on Saturday and get creative on our DIY card table-- if you've never made yourself a Valentine's Day card, maybe it's a good year to start.  Not giving any gifts this particular holiday, don't worry, you can still pick up a new toothbrush or enjoy some Spicy Hot Cocoa on a cold February day.

--DeLona

Helping Haiti

I wanted to write this the day after the earthquake, but I just keep reading all of the amazing accounts from Haiti and know I don't have anything to add.  But because many people have been asking-- here are a few ways to help.

These are just 3 of the many organizations already on the ground in Haiti.  They were in Haiti doing amazing work before the crisis, they are now responding to the emergency, but they will also be there long term.

Planting Peace

Partners in Health

Mennonite Central Committee

Don't worry if you can't donate right now-- the need will be there for many days to come.  Stay tuned with the Small Planet Trading newsletter for when we host a fundraising event. --DeLona

Update-- Feb. 1st
Since posting I've gotten word of two other groups doing their part.

Our wonderful neighbor Cutie Pie Consignment will donate at least 10% off all February sales to Haiti.  Individual consignors may add some of their sale prices as well, so the donation on an item could be as much at 65%.

Check out these amazing midwives in Bali who helped after the Indonesian Tsunami and are now in Haiti   http://www.bumisehatbali.org/

Birth Stories

      Like many people who are self-employed and own their own business DeLona and I both have other jobs and sources of income to supplement our work with Small Planet.  DeLona, among other things is  a certified Doula, or birth coach.   She is an amazing support and advocate for local birthing moms.  This weekend is the Gorge Birth Weekend at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. Friday & Saturday nights there will be a free viewing of the movie, The Business of Being Born and all day Saturday free workshops on a topics such as Childbirth Choices and Newborn News & Baby Planning.  
      As we coordinate work schedules at the shop for DeLona to attend the event I can't help but reminisce a moment on the birth stories of my own two boys.  Diego, was born 10 years ago at the local birth center.  His father, my parents, DeLona as my doula,  and my midwife were all present and I needed every single one of them for his slow but steady birth.  I remember the desire to escape from my body and  visualized being as far away as possible on a mountaintop.  Julio, now 4, was born at home on a rainy night - so rainy that my midwife traveling from Portland missed his arrival.  He was 3 weeks early and came quickly.  Most of the household slept though it.  Thankfully DeLona was there to assist.   Familiar with the sensations, this time around I planned a birthing tub, prepared with meditation and instead of escaping went inside.  
      Some say that your birth story defines you early on.  I believe there are many influences and experiences that define us at every stage of life - some we choose, some we don't, some we grow out of or grow into, and many we create for ourselves.  It is true that Diego is my even keeled, take his time, steady as a rock child and Julio is my anything goes, sweet and stormy, wild card child.  I myself was born in the era of hospital nurseries where row upon row of babies were kept warm in little incubation beds and fathers were not allowed in the delivery room.   I've been told I was a most expressive and determined baby - crying the loudest and the longest for my mom so that the nurses got in the habit of delivering me to my food source first and picking me up last.    Somehow those traits of determined recognition of what I needed and going after it did not stay with me into childhood and early adulthood.  Now in my 4th decade I'm thinking this is the perfect time to take that persona back as I move into a new era of growing into my power and moving forward.

Karen

How are you doing?

How are you doing?  That's a question we get a lot this time of year.  People wonder will Small Planet Trading be here after another winter?  Will it simply not make it like a few other favorite stores in town?  It's not always an easy question to answer.

We absolutely love bringing Fair Trade to the Gorge.  Finding products made so lovingly with the earth and it's people in mind makes our hearts sing.  Having the privilege of getting to know so many people who really care about how they spend their money, what vision of the future they support and how they affect their community is humbling, exciting and just plain fun.

We've always been committed to a simple business model that supports our community, artists near and far, and ourselves.  It is not the easiest way to do business.  It is not a model that generates fast growth.

Life has many interesting twists, and when we first opened for a holiday season, with a small seed investment and a shared space-- we had no idea how many turns life would take for the store, for each of us personally and for the wider community.

All the conventional business advice we get is the same-- we are underfunded and should either call it quits or borrow money against our house.  We've never been much for conventionality, so we continue to search for our own way.

Many people tell us how they enjoy doing their holiday shopping with us.  We love that too-- but it does not sustain us the rest of the year.  Tourism helps, but we aren't in the busiest tourist spot.  So what do we do?  We try and stock items that our loyal friends need regularly.  We look for items that are useful as well as unique.  We partner with local artists.  We keep our costs exceedingly low.  We stretch our creativity.

And yet we still are not sustainable enough for even one full time person to be paid at minimum wage.

Where does that leave us at this moment?  Having to make choices and decisions.  Not today, but through the winter.

First we'll be closing on Sundays so that we can enjoy a family day--it's been a while since we've had that on a regular basis.

Next we'll be dreaming and working on creative ways to collaborate with others to keep going.

Want to be part of the dreaming?  Have an idea to share?  Have energy to help keep Small Planet a reality?  Let us know, we're open to a new twist or two.  DeLona and Karen