Jan 11, 2010

Selling crafts with eye on ethicsBy Michael J. ArvizuGlendaleNewsPress.com

Vida Verde, at 1367 Foothill Blvd., owned by La Crescenta resident Laurel Murrieta, sells an assortment of bags, jewelry, water bottles, candles, greetings cards, wind chimes, live plants and other goods.

Despite the variety, they all have one thing in common: They either represent local artists, or if they are made in a Third World country, the wares come from distributors that support the humane treatment of workers, and are not made in sweat shops. To be sure these items conform to fair-trade regulations, Murrieta carries only items with the Fair Trade Organization seal.

“When I do my buying, I try to pick either a handmade item, a fair trade item, made from green [and] made from recycled materials,” Murrieta said. “So I try to pick things that fall into those categories.”

Most of the handmade items are not made by a machine but by an artist.

“That’s really important to me,” Murrieta said.

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