Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Teresa Baxter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Teresa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The Fair Trade Long Beach Retail Collective was born out of my passion for ethical consumerism that began at a non-profit retail store in Pasadena, CA about 17 years ago.
Ten Thousand Villages has many locations across the United States, in high end shopping districts, and are run mostly by volunteers. When I started as a sales associate and marketing team member, I immediately knew the magnitude of purchasing products from global artisans. For instance, my first purchase after a shift was a pair of earrings, and my thought was that this simple purchase may have provided healthy meals for a family in Peru. There is no buyers remorse in fair trade.
Flash forward to 2019, when my husband retired and we moved to Long Beach, CA, the fair trade retail collective I imagined became a welcome addition to this beautifully progressive city.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
In between my time at Ten Thousand Villages and the actualization of a brick and mortar storefront in Long Beach, I immersed myself in an educational pursuit of knowledge regarding international trade and relations, economic justice, and political science.
I returned to college in my 40s, earning my AA from Pasadena City College, where I’m honored to say I was recruited by and accepted to Columbia University in the City of New York!
It was there in New York that I got one of my most rewarding jobs at an international non-governmental organization called HandCrafting Justice, a project of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. As their publicity coordinator, it essentially was my job to share my passion for fair trade in a way that could touch your soul and hopefully sway you towards conscious consumerism.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Funding our business was a collective stroke of genius at the perfect opportunity. In my fair trade journey from coast to coast, I have built a strong network of friends with their fair trade brands and products, many who are members of the highly regarded Fair Trade Federation.
When this location became available, I brought 20 of these phenomenal, socially conscious brands under one roof, equally sharing the cost and overhead of running our own businesses at our retail collective.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
In reference to a side hustle, I’m most proud of a monthly outdoor block party that I organize at our quaint Parkview Village Shops. Called Second Saturdays, I bring together the best of our community for neighborhood pride and family fun. We support 40 local and fair trade vendors with a sidewalk sale each month, in addition to DJ entertainment, dog and cat adoptions, a food court, and family games and giveaways too!
Beginning and growing back in 2020, when COVID shut down businesses and the CDC was recommending that we shop outside, Second Saturdays has scaled up to be a monthly destination of community support. So, in addition to operating a retail collective, this side hustle is also part of the fabric of my life achievements.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fairtradelongbeach.com
- Instagram: @fairtradelongbeach
- Facebook: @fairtradelongbeach