GlobeIn: Fair-Trade World Market

I get a lot of enjoyment out of shopping during my travels. It makes me feel a profound sense of wonder and mystique to browse markets in foreign countries looking for special finds, gifts and pieces to decorate my apartment. Sometimes though, the travel makes the shopping a chore, Spencer and I once trekked 3 miles in a downpour past swamps and slums in Cancun to reach a local market to buy bracelets and trinkets for the kids in our neighborhood. It is times like that that make me want to skip the process and get to browsing local wares and treasures sans the pilgrimage.

GlobeIn.com is a cool online marketplace that provides the opportunity to buy locally sourced cultural and gift items from foreign markets without having to get that leather travel bag soaked all the way through. I recently purchased a serape blanket from GlobeIn to replace the one I bought on that same Cancun trip. I was amazed, because the blanket was nearly a carbon copy of the one I got in the Mexican market! Check out the details on the blanket and the camera strap! Spencer and I spent about 30 minutes yesterday trying to figure out what animals and people the design on the handmade camera strap represent.

GlobeIn has apparel, gift boxes (also known as Artisan Boxes), home décor and tons of kitchen stuff. The dishes are so intricate, ornate, and eclectic; they are perfect statement pieces for your dining area.

The products are beautiful, but the reason why I believe in GlobeIn is the way they impact the communities where the products are sourced. On their website you can read about the ways that the products production has affected the lives of the local artisans. The reality is that some the products that we purchase during our travels in factories where people are treated poorly and paid unfair wages for their labor. Globe In takes care of the locals who produce their products.

Where is your favorite fair-trade place to shop that supports communities?

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