Stylish products and a good cause dovetail at new fair-trade store
Oct 29, 2006

The Plain Dealer

Lisa Dunn was tired of feeling guilty about working in retail.

So the Cleveland Heights resident did something about it.

This month, Dunn, who formerly managed a boutique in Pepper Pike and currently works for the InterReligious Task Force on Central America, opened the Revive fair trade shop in Cleveland Heights.

"I began to focus on what we can do, not just as Americans, but as consumers to better the lives of those in Central America," she says of her decision to open Revive.

Her boutique sells men's, women's and children's clothing and accessories and home decor -- all made by artisans and workers in Central America and other Third World regions who are paid a fair living wage and have healthy, safe working conditions that promote environmental sustainability.

These aren't the shapeless, granola-ish patchouli-scented wares you might expect, either.

Reasonably priced lines such as World of Good, Marigold Fair Trade and Global Mamas are cute, chic and contemporary.

Berkeley, Calif.'s World of Good, which has products made around the globe, features stylish handbags made of recycled cans, for example. It also offers mod bamboo bowls, bookmarks, hair clips and accessories. Prices range from about $3 to $30.