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