Three Stone Steps in Bolton Hill tomorrow

Three Stone Steps will be on the 1400 block of Bolton Street, in the lovely Bolton Hill section of Baltimore tomorrow to sell great eco-chic messenger bags, silk scarves, and many more of our great fashion accessories. The festival runs from 10am to 5pm.

Now, I know that given all that's happening with the election and the economy, not everyone's mind is exactly on buying a cross body bag made from post-consumer waste black plastic trash bags, but, really, it's as good a time as any.

Speaking of the economy, Bolton Hill is in Rep. Elijah Cumming's district. I'm not in his district, but Three Stone Steps is actually on his district's border. (His district begins across the street from Three Stone Steps' worldwide headquarters.)

While this is not new news, I did think that the Bolton Hill Representative did a knock out job when questioning our our taxpayer bailout money was spent by AIG:



If you have trouble hearing this, part of the text follows:

CUMMINGS: Let me describe for some of you the charges that the shareholders, taxpayers, had to pay. AIG spent $200,000 dollars for hotel rooms. Almost $150,000 for catered banquets. AIG spent $23,000 at the hotel spa and another $1,400 at the salon. They were getting manicures, facials, pedicures and massages while American people were footing the bill. And they spent another $10,000 dollars for I don’t know what this is, leisure dining. Bars?

Well, yet another one of those, it makes you think, huh?

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Earth Week in Baltimore

What a great scene right in front of my little Three Stone Steps space at the Eco Festival that kicked off baltimoregreenweek. All morning long, there were groups of kids drawing with chalk on the asphalt. While many kids came through during the day, this little group above came first.

Really, whenever I do one of those early spring festivals at the home of Three Stone Steps' worldwide headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, I'm always delighted.





In this case, I was incredibly amazed at all the positive things that people are taking on to make the city, state, country, and planet a better place to live now and into the future. Also, getting out with my eco-chic bags, silk scarves, and business card cases and getting feed back is always great. And, let's be honest, a sale or two never actually hurt either.

I also had fantastic neighbors. Reps from a new magazine, City Living Source, on one side, and the delightful Sharan, who's taken it upon herself to put together Baltimore's first Fashion Week on my other side. In fact, I was so impressed with both that I'll probably do some sort of ad thing in the magazine around the winter holidays, and am seriously thinking of taking my eco-chic bags to the runway for Fashion Week. Ok, it's not Milan, or London, or New York, but it's sure to be fun and new (for me).

I'll keep you all posted on my first foray into the world of the catwalk.

But, before I get there, I'll again be at a Springtime in Baltimore event at the Cylburn Arboretum on May 10. As always, I'll keep you posted!

How I Spent My Earth Day

In the grand tradition of the essay, which I don't remember ever having to write, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, I bring to you my Earth Day essay.

First, if you've read my blog. I'm not the hugest fan ever of holidays. But, I did celebrate Earth Day by having a table at an Earth Day Expo, an information only deal, at the Community College of Baltimore County Catonsville campus. It was a lovely day, with dogwoods and red buds in bloom, and azelas starting to bloom. The campus was also lovely and historic. I loved the students, a diverse, happy, curious, and above all, incredible nice group of kids. (I've been away from a campus for so long, that I realize that first and second year college students are now "kids," as if I needed another reminder that I was old.)

We were set up in a great old barn. There was a smallish selection of area green businesses, but what struck me was that there were far, far too many old fashioned type of green businesses: pyramid selling products (I don't want to name them, but you probably know), vegetarian and vegan resources, a person hawking a special juice from a special berry (also pyramid selling, as far as I could tell), and some green glue. Ok. There were some other great products, most notably a cosmetic company that had great products and fantastic packaging, and an organic bakery that shared a table with someone who farms and sells at farmers markets (although not the one I go to, since I was told that mine beloved market, under an expressway in downtown Baltimore City was "too dangerous), but, all in all, I feel as though the "green movement" has moved beyond this.

In fact, Three Stone Steps tries hard to push the boundaries. We try to show that you can be green and care about fair trade and NOT be in some green/fair trade ghetto. I want people to love Three Stone Steps messenger bags, scarves, jewelry rolls, and other eco-chic and fair trade fashion accessories, not because they are green and fair trade, but because they like them. Once people like them, well, then, all the better that they are good for the planet and for the workers.

Actually, I have a few more thoughts about all this, given the marketing for Earth Day from everywhere from the New York Times to The Baltimore Sun, including the Parade Magazine enclose, to the Fox Network to Wal-Mart. But, I'll save this for another post, as well as some photos of my lovely little table in the barn.

As always, stay tuned.

I'm still here....

Ah, but dear reader, I have been very busy.

I'm getting ready for my inaugural trade show, for museum store buyers, down in Tampa. I'm super excited to show off Three Stone Steps' new line of bags made of recycled, repurposed mosquito netting, and the new bag made of recycled big plastic garbage bags that are woven around blue yard.

Eco-chic at its greenest best, I tell you!

I'll also be showing off my gorgeous two-toned 100 percent silk scarves, which, by some crazy reserve of will power, I've narrowed down to carrying in only four colors. These are hand made of course, and woven in a traditional way, not often seen in Southeast Asia. I also will have my lovely silk Angkor shoulder bag, in some new colors, as well as new colors of the great little cotton travel bag along with the larger commuter bag, both with the same great traditional, yet non-ethnic hippie Khmer silk-screen pattern. Oh, and silk jewelery rolls, and, if my some magic along with the correct alignment of the planets, maybe, just maybe, I'll even have those brand spanking new striped and beaded cosmetic bags along for the ride. I am waiting, waiting, waiting for the USPS to bring this wonderful package to my little door. Please Mr. Postman, look and see, is there a package, a package for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

While the folks in Tampa will get to see all these goodies in person, never fear, everything will up on the site by later this month.....and, most everything should be available for purchase sometime this summer.

As always, stay tuned....and, updates from the road.

A Sneak Peak

Shhhhhhh. Don't tell., but I'll let you in on a secret. I will put up samples of the new line of recycled mosquito netting bags that I'll be carrying. As stated in a prior posts, these will be available in silver, hunter green, copper, deep blue, and yellow.

So, and away we go:

This is called the Fellini Pannolini and Everything Else Bag for Men and Women. Long name, I know, and perhaps I'll edit. Why "Fellini?" Well, that's my little dog's name, and it rhymes with pannolini. And, what's pannolini? Well, that's Italian for diaper. The Fellini bag make for the perfect diaper bag, the perfect laptop bag, the perfect knitting bag, the perfect overnight bag, the perfect commuter bag. The uses of this great, big, waterproof, and hip bag are (almost) endless.
And, what do we have above, but the Mingus Bag for Men and Women. Ok, Mingus is my other dog and how could I name a bag for one dog over another? They would just know! Anyway, this is a flat, cross-body bag that'll come in the mosquito netting and in the woven recycled plastic bags with blue yard. Very cool. Perfect for a paperback book, you wallet, phone, iPod, and almost anything else you could need for the day. If you're someone who puts absolutely everything in a bag, sort of carrying your closet and dresser around, this bag may be a tad too small for you, but for those who want an unassuming yet very cool bag, this could be for you.
And, here we have a bag just for women: The Luna Bag. Finally, a bag with a name I don't have to explain. This half-moon shape bag is large enough for women who use their bags so not to leave a possible essential behind. Great, two-color fun, swirly stitching adorns this great zipper shoulder bag.

So, here we are. Let me know what you think, and check back in about eight weeks, when these items will be available online at Three Stone Steps.

Are you going to Global Fayre? (parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme.....)

First up in this this occasional series of taking a closer look at Three Stone Steps' retail customers is Global Fayre, located in Springfield, Missouri. You can also find Global Fayre, and befriend them even, on their myspace page.

What follows is my email interview with one of the owners, David. Should you find yourself in Springfield, please stop by!


How did you come up with the name Global Fayre?

We wanted something that would convey a number of principles/values/messages.

Fayre obviously sounds like Fair, but being English, for me it also means spread, or festival, or display.

So, we wanted to convey that our store has a feast of work from around the world.....more than shopping with a conscience (though our customers are doing that too).

How long have you been involved in fair trade? What sort of background do you have, or what event made you realize that fair trade was as important issue?

Cheri and I have been supporters of Fair Trade for a long time, in the sense of buying it when it was on offer. When our youngest baby was born (we have two girls, age 2 and 13) it opened our eyes to just how little was on offer in Springfield for people that wanted fair trade/alternative/green products. Then when Cheri was thinking about stepping back in to work, we decided that it would be great to do something together, plus we believed that there was the potential to champion Fair Trade in what is a pretty barren area (the MidWest).

My background is nearly 20 years of corporate work in Europe, mostly in strategic planning, but also in brand management, sales and marketing plus some time in finance. I've been in the US for nearly 6 years, and during that time have been a strategic consultant offering 'therapy' to small/medium sized business. I still offer that work, though Global Fayre is taking up most of my time at the moment.

Cheri moved to Springfield just after me, and has a background in wellness/corporate health, and is very much the 'green leader' of the two of us - I'm learning a lot from her.

How long has your store been open? Please tell me how you sold fair trade items before opening your store.

The store opened at the beginning of December 2007. Our route there was via a Farmers Market for the 2007 season, which gave us time to research the products, and the people, and to find out how we felt about working on this project together. Unlike most of the people I come across through CABN and Fair Trade, we did not explore online sales first. The plan is to venture in to that in the next month or so.

I used to live in KCMO. Springfield is generally thought of as a pretty conservative part of the country, how is your shop important to the part of the community that cares about fair trade and related issues?

Conservative is an understatement!

But, the sense of community responsibility is strong, principally driven from a faith perspective.

So, we have a number of clear target markets:

• Faith - (probably the most exposed to Fair Trade via Ten Thousand Villages, Greater Gift and Equal Exchange);
• Education - Springfield has 3 universities, with around 30,000 students and faculty;
  
• Geographical - we are based in the downtown area of Springfield, and are part of a steadily reviving scene there, including things like a First Friday Art Walk and other downtown cultural events. The downtown revitalisation also means an increasing number of downtown residents (mostly lofts), bringing 'locals' to the store.

A key part of our mission is to reach out to the community to educate about Fair Trade and environmental issues too. We're just started to get school parties bringing kids in to the store to learn about Fair Trade.

We also offer the store for fundraising events - such as one we are hosting next week for a volunteer who offers counselling to genocide victims in Rwanda.

So, all in all, I'm hopeful that Global Fayre can fairly quickly become a key part of the local community, at the same time introducing people here to Fair Trade on a level not seen in this part of the country before.

New Three Stone Steps Blog Feature!

Here at Three Stone Steps we had such a delightful time talking about Hoopla Traders, that we decided to focus on other retailers of Three Stone Steps' line of fashion accessories made from silk, cotton, and recycled materials.

Three Stone Steps will be working with fascinating and fun and funky boutique owners with a variety of strong commitments, including to fair trade, eco-friendly products, buying locally, or just making sure they have a welcoming shop with a strong aesthetic sense, into this blog.

I hope you enjoy this occasional feature As always, I welcome your feedback!

Fat Bags and Skinny Models

Being in the quality fashion accessory biz, Three Stone Steps tries keeps up with the latest trends. It's sort of kind of required to have a general sense of what's going on out there in the non-fair trade, non-eco-chic, more mainstream world of style and color. You know, the world where no one bothers their pretty little heads worrying about how workers are treated or the impact on the environment. I guess, unfortunately, it means the fashion world to many, many people out there.

This was a good weekend for following fashion, of the mainstream sort. The big even last night, of course, were the Academy Awards. I didn't watch them, not even the stars trotting down the red carpet. I didn't really read anything about them either, but did see a photo on the front page (below the fold) of pretty starlets dressed in red. To match the carpet, perhaps?

The same paper, the New York Times, actually, also had its large Spring 2008 fashion supplement in the big Sunday paper. I couldn't wait to learn what the paper of record thought would be the must-haves for the next few months.

Big, actually mammoth handbag and shoulder bags are in. Still. And, they are being carried by by women who must end up weighing even less than the bags do when they are full. Still. While stick figure models are the norm, they still shocked me a bit in a I-thought-we-were-
moving-beyond-this kind of way.

And, as if to rub it all in, this fashion supplement had an article called Weight Watchers. As you may have guessed, this doesn't have a whole lot to do with having skinny models lose even more weight, but rather the cost of a designer dress by the pound. So, that little evening dress that weighs a mere 4.15 ounces costs $3,150. If you don't want to do the math, that comes to $10,610 per pound. Another example is an even smaller dress at 3.24 ounces for $4.175. Get our your calculator and it comes to $20,554 per pound.

Sort of makes you wonder about the phrase: worth one's weight in gold. In which case, it would help to wear wool and other heavy clothes, load up that huge handbag, and not worry about those extra pounds.

I like that.

Yes We Can....or a happy Friday post

I've realized here at the superduper worldwide word headquarters at Three Stone Steps that my blog postings have been a little bit depressing. Well, I don't know about you, but they are depressing me: all this talk of blood diamonds and un-fair trade roses, and unabashed consumerism for Valentine'$ Day. This is not to mention my preoccupation with how the superdelegates work for the Democratic Party, what the polls have been saying with regard to the upcoming election, and the super huge pile of trash on the bottom of the ocean.

Well, it was not that long ago that I was at the ocean, ok, the sea, ok, a gulf, specifically, The Gulf of Thailand, where I had some r&r after working so hard to find the perfect eco-chic fashion accessories, including some new bags and wallets made from repurposed and recycled mosquito netting, and new cosmetic bags in silk, and cotton traveler and messenger bags in great new colors.

I chilled, a bit, in Phu Quoc. Now, Three Stone Steps is of the belief that photos of sunsets are part of the unholy trinity of trite subjects for travel photos, along with fireworks, and waterfalls. (Actually, rainbows falls into that category as well, but four just doesn't fit.) But, I can't resist, on the winter Friday, posting a photo of a lovely sunset from the beach.

There. Don't you feel just a bit better and a bit relaxed?
I knew you would.

For my non-beach time of this trip, I did get to spend some quality time with the artisans who produce the silk and cotton products I sell. I met with these workers in their house--a very modest house, where each family had their own room, own area for cooking, and a shared bathroom. On the Three Stone Steps website I will talk further about the workers who make Three Stone Steps' great fashion accessories, and will go into detail at another time on this blog. But, for this happy Friday, Yes We Can thread, I'd prefer to show you all a photo of a lunch outing a had with the workers.

We shared food, and drink, and smiles. I shared postcards that I brought with me of Beautiful Baltimore, Maryland, USA, home of Three Stone Steps' global hq. We talked, as best we could, about Chinese horoscopes--for some reason, someone thought that I had to be a dragon.....and hair. A fun outing. I would do this weekly if I were only a bit closer.

I'll be back soon with more tales from Asia and the workers who produce Three Stone Steps' great items, and whatever thoughts (and, I promise to rein in all the doom and gloom ones) I have on the general state of everything.

Hot Stuff

I'm still in Phnom Penh searching for great new products for Three Stone Steps. I had a bit of a disappointing day yesterday thinking that I was on to something with jewelry made from recycled land minds, but it turned out that I couldn't find a design at a price point that would work. I will continue today searching for the best in silks, cottons, and eco-chic.

I'm also debating getting water reed rattan/ish bags for Three Stone Steps's customers. While I did find some designs that you're sure to love, I am not sure about the quality of the product, and that's of utmost importance. I would never want to sell any handbags, messenger bags, wallets, silk scarves, or evening bags that I wasn't positive would wear well. So, I'll visit this place again this afternoon, and take these new bags through quite a workout. However, I'm not especially optimistic.

I'm also desperately trying to get in touch with this NGO that produces recycled products. It's hard, but I will venture on since there's no where I want to miss out on what looks to be a great eco-chic item for my great customers.

Anyway, it's now afternoon here, and time to get myself in gear to go searching in the Cambodian heat.

Stay turned. I shall return!

Not Quite a Holiday in Cambodia

After three days in Singapore, I arrived in Phnom Penh rather late last night. I'm excited to meet with my current producers and to see what new fashion accessories I can find for Three Stone Steps.

I will post a blog soon regarding thoughts about Singapore in terms of being green (or not being green) and some general political, social, cultural and other thoughts.

Anyway, I'm about to meet my producer of the recycled eco-chic messenger bags, laptop bag, and wallets. I'm interested in some of their new offerings, and if all goes well (there is a great deal of things to consider) I should have some new very interesting recycled fashion accessories to offer. I'll update soon.

Anyway, just checking in.

Will update, and attempt to load photos later today.

Stay tuned.

On the road again....

....well, not quite. Right about now I was supposed to be in Phnom Penh, looking for more fun to funky fairly traded and eco-chic goods, yet I am in my kitchen in beautiful Baltimore, Maryland USA.

The night before my flight I was knocked out my the norovirus. Now, this wasn't fun, in fact, I can't remember when I've been taken down by an illness.

In any event, this isn't a rant about some nasty virus, but rather to let you know that I'm still around, but this weird downtime has given me some clarity regarding what new things I'll be looking for.

But, first, I'm going to make my existing items even better. Prepare to see the cotton travelers bags with new longer and wider straps, and some new, shapes. Look for new colors in the gorgeous Angkor silk screen shoulder bag. It's coming along.

I'm hoping to bring back some man purses. Ok. Don't snicker. A man bag. The hard sided briefcase has gone the way of dial-up and cassette tapes, or so has been proclaimed by the Wall Street Journal when they wrote about the Death of the Brief Case. In any event, this sort of makes me sad in the sort of way that no longer having carpools makes me sad. The briefcase reminds me of my father and just seemed so handy. But, I can't say I blame men for wanting a hand's free way to take work to and fro. (I guess I really wish people didn't have to take work home from the office, but that's for another post.)

I also plan to look for more items in sustainable fabrics, like hemp and bamboo, and innovative recycled items.

Please also let me know what you'd like to see, and please stay tuned for some updates from Southeast Asia.