Time for Change

It's been 4 long & crazy months since I last wrote to you (apparently when I say I won't fill your inbox with spammy emails, I'm not joking!).  How are things going?  How are you holding up in the midst of the daily twist and turns?  Whether you're navigating multiple kids with hybrid schooling, still Zooming from home for too many work meetings, figuring out how to wear a mask all day without fogging up your glasses, or visiting an elderly parent on the opposite side of plexiglass, I know these days can be draining and challenging, to say the least.

And if you haven't resorted to sticking your head in the sand quite yet, watching the news or scrolling social media can add a whole other level of stress.  So much heartache and division.  So much name calling and finger pointing. So much in need of changing and fixing.  It can get overwhelming; exhausting. 

More than anything else, these last months have highlighted for me the need for more dignity, more love, more compassion; especially in this country I call home.  Glaringly it's been revealed, our land of the "free and brave" is full of the "flawed and the broken," myself included.  

I've thought of this in light of Clean Slate Goods.  It's the mission of our shop to promote dignity and inspire hope for artisans around the world, but when I reflected on the number of our brands working with artisans right here in the U.S.A., I was struck with the disparity.  All around me I was seeing that in order to impart lasting change in our country, there was a need to invest in individuals on the ground level, to truly uplift their worth.  It was about more than donating to organizations and reading books (although these are important too); it was about coming alongside, looking in the eye, listening, and providing tools and skills for long-term success. Yes there's a need for better legislature, and for those in politics to start taking notice, but there's also a need for each of us to start making changes and choices that will shape what our country is made of and how we view one another - as the precious and valuable individuals God has created us all to be.

So if you've been following along on social media, you may have noticed a theme recently in our feed.  A theme of U.S.-based brands being added and highlighted at the shop.  We've been intentionally seeking out more brands that are working with makers here in the states.  And in the process, have found some amazing ones doing that, while also specializing in products specifically requested by our customers. 

We now have 8 (and counting!) U.S.- based brands that we partner with at the shop.  Here are just a handful of ways they are making a difference for the makers behind the goods:

Those of us who call ourselves Americans are no more worthy of respect and opportunities than those from other countries, yet sometimes it's easier to think of those in far off places as being more "in need" than those in our very communities.  The bottom line is, we're all in need, we're all flawed and broken and no one country is getting it "right."  So we've committed at the shop to make sure we're investing in the lives of those on our home soil too; places like Lancaster, PA; Baltimore MD; Hopewell Junction, NY; Nashville, TN, Minneapolis, MN; Houston TX; and Birmingham, AL, right alongside those in Oaxaca, Mexico; Hanoi, Vietnam; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Rajpur, India - to name just a few : )

Find the good.  

Be part of the good.

Spread the good.

Lots of ways to go about doing that, but I hope you're encouraged friend.  That even though there's a whole heap of ways our country is getting it wrong these days - and a whole lot of individuals contributing to that, those highlighted reels on your feed and your local news station are not the WHOLE STORY.

We can all be a part of a hope-filled story for those around us.  And perhaps as we do that, we'll invite others to be a part of our own hope-filled story too.

Take care & hang in friend,

Kari
 

Hon's Honey is just one of our latest brands and we're so honored to represent them via their products.  Their home and body products are handcrafted in Baltimore, Maryland by women survivors. One of their makers shares her story: “I couldn’t get a job because I’m a felon,” she explains. “And now I have this one where I can make a statement for women. I want others like me to know that there are people here who will give you a chance. All you have to do is show up and do the work. It makes me feel so proud of myself because I’m working for my pay. I’m contributing by making something beautiful... I love that Hon’s Honey’s mission is all about helping women. You might feel like you’re at the bottom, and no one is listening, and no one cares, and you feel like you can barely take care of your children, but you can have hope when you come here.” - Shera