Gallyvant

«Everything in here is pretty much handmade,» The sales associate said, regarding this wacky, creative store called, Gallyvant, that opened just last July, in the heart of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona. It surprisingly has had a lot of regulars, she said. They like the handmade, natural soaps because they’re just $ 3.00, and the hand-​sewn fisherman pants, and these quirky bicycle earrings. «Since everyone rides their bikes in Flagstaff,» she commented, and I agreed.
I even ride a bike here. Well, I just started. I still need practice. There’s also a lot of toursists and travelers that come in too. About 80% she said, were tourists and travelers. I was mostly surprised to hear that most of the merchandise here is Fair Trade, made in over 15 different developing countries and sold for double what they’re worth, so that the proceeds can go back to helping their lives and spur economic growth. Or it’s made by local artists here, handmade, one-​of-​a-​kind or natural. A few local artists even sell their works in person on First Friday.
The owner is even an artist here. You can buy jewelry made by her.
About the Fair Trade stuff: I saw a natural coconut necklace for $ 7.00, hand-​painted drums, made in Peru, for $ 8.25. A neon green bracelet made from telephone wire, handmade in South Africa. There were actual stories about some of the artists and how the art is made in the Fair Trade tags. There were little decorate jewelry boxes from India for $ 9.25, and little gourd piggy banks from Peru for $ 7.50. Wallets from recycled fabric were $ 24.50. And a section of handmade clothes.
I saw sign on the wall right before I left that caught my I. It read:
Welcome to Gallyvant
no worries
no judgments
There would be reason to worry less with stores like this opening up in the world.