Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Jones.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Fair & Square Imports is owned and operated by myself and my wife Kate Jones. We moved to McKinney from Northwest Indiana, where we had met at Valparaiso University. We have been married for 8 years, and have owned Fair & Square Imports for almost 5 years. We’re also lucky to live in the historic downtown McKinney where they can walk to work and love being part of this community.
Before Fair & Square Imports, I worked at a nonprofit where I helped launch another Fair Trade store. Kate worked at a local marketing agency, spending the majority of her time working with nonprofit clients. We both shared a passion for helping nonprofits increase their impact through using the fundamentals of business and economics.
We are especially passionate about Fair Trade because it decreases individual’s’ dependency on aid in a dignified and long-lasting way. Opening a Fair Trade store was a natural expression of that passion. Fair Trade workshops around the world end cycles of poverty not only for families, but often whole communities. It gives developing regions a respectful alternative that often preserves cultural crafts and traditions.
We hope to continue to grow the Fair Trade movement as a unique way to make your everyday purchases powerful.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We were extremely blessed to have several mentors within the fair trade industry that have helped us get started. Each year the Fair Trade Federation, a community of fair trade retailers and wholesalers in North America, hosts a conference where we all exchange ideas and best practices, all with the purpose of growing the fair trade movement. Without their help, we would not have been able to be where we are today.
We also have the most amazing team of fair trade advocates! Our Fair & Square employees are passionate about fair trade and the best at what they do.
Last and most importantly, we have an awesome community of patrons that totally get the fair trade mission and have supported us throughout the years.
We are so glad to have been able to grow every year. We have made lots of mistakes, but are willing and eager to learn and ask for help when we need it!
Please tell us about Fair And Square Imports.
At Fair & Square Imports, we carry from over 40 different countries, all handmade and fair trade.
At Fair & Square Imports, every item positively impacts our world. Fair trade is a system that not only aims to pay fair wages, but also ensures:
– Safe working conditions
– Community investment
– No child exploitation
– Pre-purchases & prompt payments
– Equal opportunity for women
– Honest & long-term relationships
– Environmentally friendly
Fair Trade is about empowering some of the most marginalized people to break free from cycles of dependency and poverty. Fair Trade seeks to use the free-market, global trade, and entrepreneurship to actively provide opportunity to many around the world.
We are dedicated to helping eradicate poverty through purchasing only from small-scale artisans, co-ops, non-profits, & farmers throughout the developing regions of the world.
By making their handicrafts and goods available to new markets like McKinney, we help create economic opportunity so these artisans and farmers can support their families and themselves.
Items include jewelry, accessories, home decor, cards & journals, toys & gifts, dried foods, chocolate, coffee, tea, instruments, foot care, lotion, soaps, and a year-round Christmas room in the back.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Probably family trips traveling. This instilled a love for exploring new places and getting to know new people. We always meet interesting people and found great hospitality and food where ever we went!
What role has luck played in your life and business?
We are SUPER lucky to have a support system of family, store neighbors, and friends that live in the area. They have stuck with us and helped us through thick and thin and we couldn’t have done it without them!
Lucky that there is such a wonderful place as downtown McKinney in the Dallas area, and lucky to find our location there! We decided to start a store in April, moved down in June to look for locations, picked one in July, and opened September 1st. We knew that we wanted a store in downtown McKinney and the timing for our location couldn’t have been better!
We are also really lucky that we work really well together. We’ve been working professionally together since before we got married, and (we think!) we have complimentary skill sets and personalities. It’s been a real blessing and joy to have had the opportunity to work together full time for 5 years!
Besides that, we really have tried to stick to best retail practices, mentor recommendations, and media trends. We’ll do our best to keep learning as we go!
Pricing:
- The neat thing about our store is the great variety of price points. We have handcrafted items from under $5.00 to unique one of a kind pieces. We pride ourselves on being a place where everyone can find that special little something for a gift or themselves.
Contact Info:
- Address: 219 E. Louisiana St.
McKinney, TX 75069 - Website: www.fairandsquareimports.com
- Phone: 469 343 4421
- Email: info@fairandsquareimports.com
- Instagram: fairimports
- Facebook: FairandSquareImports
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FairImports
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fair-and-square-imports-mckinney
Image Credit:
Fair and Square Imports
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