Why it belongs in ORBIS
Global Gifts is a locally owned nonprofit shop selling fair-trade jewelry, textiles, and home goods sourced directly from artisan cooperatives around the world, with storefronts on Massachusetts Avenue and at 8519 Westfield Boulevard in Indianapolis's Nora neighborhood. Every purchase is structured to support fair wages and safe working conditions for the makers behind it.
Global Gifts is a non-profit business, 501c3 certified, that sells fair trade goods from two Indianapolis stores. One stands at 873 Massachusetts Ave. downtown and the other at 8519 Westfield Blvd in Nora. The shelves are filled with handmade items from nearly 40 countries, from jewelry and home goods to toys and food. Artisans are paid upfront for orders, and the shop works only with vendors and groups that take care of the people who make the goods. Artisan groups on the shelves include Ganesh Himal and Global Mamas, with Bunyaad alongside, and brands such as Serrv and Ten Thousand Villages appear among the suppliers. As a member of the Fair Trade Federation the shop frames each purchase as a way to spend shopping dollars so that they empower producers and their communities. Volunteers support a small staff in keeping the stores open and running events, and donations go toward buying inventory from artisan groups so that the makers are paid for their work.