Global Folk Art In Danger Of Closing Nonprofit Business Appeals To Holiday Shoppers To Help Keep Store Afloat For Third World Poor

Christmas this year is a make-or-break season for a small not-for-profit business that’s trying to help the poor of the Third World.

Global Folk Art at First and Cedar carries a unique collection of products from native crafts people in countries like Haiti, Pakistan, Nepal and Guatemala.

The shop guarantees the artists receive a fair share of the sales money. The goal is to raise living standards among the poor while giving consumers a chance to participate in helping them.

But Global Folk Art could be forced to close its doors because of an economic crisis of its own.

“We’ve operated at a loss every month so far this year,” said Renae Potter, the part-time manager of the store and its only paid employee.

The store has sold about $60,000 worth of goods this year, compared with $100,000 last year. The revenue is not enough to pay for the lease, utilities and Potter’s salary.

Potter is appealing to shoppers for help. Many of the items in the store would make nice Christmas presents, and they have unique stories behind them, she said.

The store carries candle sconces and mirrors made out of recycled oil drums in Haiti.

From the Brazilian rainforest comes an alternative to ivory. Crafts people there are carving figurines, buttons and jewelry from the tagua nut.

The nut is plentiful and, best of all, it isn’t taken off the bodies of endangered animals. The trees are not logged and the profits offer another source of income in a region where trees are being burned for farming, she said.

Afghani women who’ve fled to Pakistan are sewing coin purses made from scraps of traditional Afghan embroidery.

Cards and journal books made from corn husks are imported from Guatemala.

The store also carries pottery, wood carvings and Christmas Nativity figures.

Global Folk Art offers its customers a quick education in the culture, economics and even the politics of Third World countries.

Customers frequently leave with stories about their purchases they can later share, said Denise Attwood, a member of the store’s board of directors.

“People really want and need a connection to the things they are buying,” Attwood said.

“It’s a way people can spend their money and have a positive impact.”

Every $1,000 in sales generates enough money to create a job for a year in a Third World country, she said.

Attwood is a partner in an importing company in Spokane, which provides some of the products sold at Global Folk Art.

Her Ganesh Himal Trading Co. buys clothing and textiles from Tibetan women who are living in exile in Nepal. Their products are sold through a Nepalese women’s project that guarantees the artisans not only fair wages, but health care and paid vacations.

Buying products at Global Folk Art means “you haven’t contributed to the proliferation of sweat shops,” Potter said.

The store is affiliated with an organization known as the Fair Trade Association, which guarantees that a large share of the money taken through sales goes back to the producers.

Global Folk Art opened in 1991 at a storefront in downtown Spokane. The non-profit board of directors was organized as a project of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane.

Three years ago, the store moved to its current location at 1401 W. First in the historic Carnegie Square district. The store is largely staffed by volunteers.

Initially, Global Folk Art benefitted from a loyal clientele, many of whom were affiliated with PJALS. But now the store depends on patronage from walk-in customers to make ends meet, Potter said.

Aggravating the problem is a slowdown in business in the historic Carnegie Square area, she said.

Global Folk Art advertises in small local publications, but doesn’t have enough of a budget to put on a big promotional campaign.

“Christmas is going to determine whether we can make it,” Potter said. “I think we need the support of the whole community.”

, DataTimes