Savvy Shoppers Ask Questions and We Have Answers on Fair Trade

March 20, 2018

We are back from the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society’s Flower Show and happy to report that it was another successful run.  Despite snowstorms and every sort of precipitation that Mother Nature could cause to fall during the ten-day event, the Flower Show participants proved their mettle and pluck and came in great numbers to revel in the beauty of the event….and to SHOP!

The It’s Cactus crew was pleased to welcome old friends and new to our brightly-colored signature booth.

Over and over, we shared the story of how our metal sculptures are made from recycled oil barrels by village artisans in Haiti.  It is always gratifying to know how important our practice of Fair Trade is to increasing numbers of shoppers who not only want to buy hand-crafted art, but also want their purchases to support a greater good.  Time and again we were asked, “How much goes back to the artists?” and we were always proud to say that, “None goes back because they have already been paid 100 percent up front.”

This response may sound flippant and seem like it evades the question, but it is actually an important point. By trading in this manner, the artists do not have to make initial outlays for materials and labor out-of-pocket and wait for the return on their investments. Such lags, while endurable in strong economies, are virtually untenable in Haiti. Paying up front eliminates that stress and financial burden for the artist, and in many cases, makes trade possible at all. In fact, paying 100 percent up front far exceeds the amount required by the Fair Trade Federation of its members.

Moreover, prices are negotiated with the artist for each design that we purchase. The artist is a full participant in that decision-making process. Always the discussion includes questions such as, “What do you need to make on this piece so that it is sustainable for you?”  “What can we do to price this piece equitably for you and attractively for our customers?” Along these same lines, we exchange ideas about design, quality control, and consistent flow of output. In so doing, our experience with the marketplace and theirs about the creative process becomes shared knowledge.

Like the flowers, it’s a beautiful thing….

Contributed by Linda for It’s Cactus

Underway in Philly at the Flower Show

February 28, 2018

The Convention Center becomes a virtual construction site as exhibitors prepare for this year’s Flower Show.

Preparations are underway for the opening of the 2018 Pennsylvania Horticulture Society’s annual Flower Show.  Exhibitors are bustling, loaders are hauling, forklifts are beeping, and tens of thousands of glorious flowers are being placed in artful array, ready to bloom their little hearts out. Somehow, amid the chaos of set-up, everything falls spectacularly into place. The show doors are flung wide to welcome an estimated 250,000 gardening enthusiasts, flower lovers, and visitors who are simply ready to escape the greys of winter.

For our part, Casey is on site and hard at it, putting together the It’s Cactus booth.  Everything is trucked overland

The Booth – fresh off the overland truck and ready for assembly.

weeks in advance; the solid structure that is the booth itself as well as hundreds of pieces of Haitian metal sculpture, screws, drills, lighting, business cards, a TV, cash register tape, shopping bags, and, and, AND! For a while, the booth resembles nothing so much as a 3-D puzzle, but bit by bit, the pieces come together.  New sculptures as well as old favorites will be unwrapped and arranged, ready to be discovered by happy, exuberant shoppers.

And so it begins! Opening times are as follows:  Saturday March 3 – Sunday March 11, 2018. Hours. Saturday, March 3 — 11 am – 8 pm. Sunday, March 4 — 8 am – 9 pm. Monday – Friday — March 5 – 9: 10 am – 9 pm. Saturday, March 10 — 8 am – 9 pm. Sunday, March 11 — 8 am – 6 pm * last entry at 5 pm. Member’s Preview Hours. Friday, March 2 — 12 pm – 3:30 pm.

We hope to see you at The Show!

Contributed by Linda for It’s Cactus

Another Great Show in Philly!

April 17, 2017

Tulips, bicycles, and windmills carried out the Dutch theme at the PHS Flower Show in Philly.

Can’t believe that a month has gone by since we turned out the lights on our ninth Pennsylvania Horticulture Society Flower Show in Philadelphia.  And what a show it was!  With the theme, “Holland” it was a delight to behold, the exhibitors displaying a wonderous array of tulips, bicycles, and windmills of course, but also paying clever homage to Mondrian and his primary colored squares. Additionally, there were lovely floral tributes to other heavy-hitting Dutch artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Rembrandt Van Rijn.

It is such fun to meet new customers and see their appreciation for Haitian metal art grow as they come to understand that the pieces are all

Mondrian flower boxes. How bright and clever!

made by hand out of recycled oil barrels.   It is also wonderful to visit with old friends who come to the show year after year.  Always love hearing, “We always look forward to seeing you.  We buy something every time!”

Perhaps it is here that we should stop a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our terrific customers – newcomers and long-time, loyal friends – for supporting

our fair trade efforts in Haiti.  The artists work hard to produce amazing pieces of art, and we work hard to make it available, but it is YOU who commit your dollars, bring the art into your homes, and enthusiastically share it with others.  That’s what make those efforts count. Together, we do so much good.  THANK YOU!

Casey pointing out the video we had running in our booth showing how the art is made.

Contributed by Linda for It’s Cactus