MAGAZINES 
Being Fair
At Momentum, fair trade provides a livelihood for workers in developing countries
A sampling of Momentum's Fair Trade goods (photo by Greg Lefcourt). Right, Indian women who escaped the sex trade now make a living crafting throws out of saris—Momentum’s perennial best seller.
Kevin and Jenny Natapow missed the glory days of retail sales. They were first-time entrepreneurs when they opened their fair trade store Momentum just east of Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall in 2007. Fifteen months later, the United States economy stuttered and fell into a deep recession, taking a big bite out of the country’s retail sector along the way.
Sales slowed at the Natapows’ small shop, which carries unique handcrafted goods from all over the globe—but only for a month. Remarkably, Momentum has seen growth in revenue each year since a small dip in September 2008, the Natapows say. They attribute that growth to the rising interest in socially conscious shopping, and specifically, in fair trade-labeled goods.
“People are really thinking differently about their purchases,” Jenny says. “They’re interested in making purchases that make a difference in people’s lives.”
Momentum works with many members of the Fair Trade Federation, one of several trade organizations that engage in socially responsible, environmentally friendly business practices with the artisans and farmers who produce the goods—usually disadvantaged people living in developing countries. Fair-trade practices include ensuring a living wage to farmers and craftspeople, and promoting healthy and safe working environments. Fair-trade goods are never produced by child labor.
In the United States, sales from items that carry a fair trade label have increased dramatically in the past seven years. According to the Fair Trade Federation, North American fair-trade sales grew 102 percent from 2004 to 2007. A report by Fair Trade USA indicated sales from fair-trade products topped $1.2 billion in the United States in 2009, and revenue rose 24 percent in 2010. The number of fair trade-producing organizations is more than 800 in 58 countries, which impacts the lives of more than 1.2 million farmers and artisans, according to Fairtrade International.
Kevin and Jenny Natapow attribute their store’s success amidst a recession to rising interest in socially conscious shopping. The fashion for “recycled chic” has also given a boost to items such as bags made from the pop tabs of aluminum cans. Photo by Greg Lefcourt.
‘RECYCLED CHIC’ ADDS TO THE MIX
The Natapows first had the idea to open a fair-trade store while traveling together in Nepal in 2000. Everything Momentum carries in its shop is fair trade, from handmade soaps crafted in India and bamboo bowls from Vietnam, to colorful children’s mobiles from Sri Lanka. Almost every item comes with a story about the artisan who crafted it. Since the shop opened, Momentum’s best seller has been sari throws made from recycled cloth by women who have escaped the sex trade in India. “Customers like getting something to fill their home that has a story behind it and is handmade, but is also supporting a break from poverty,” Jenny says.
While Momentum uses the Fair Trade Federation to make connections with many of the artisans whose work ends up on the store’s shelves, the Natapows have traveled to meet several craftspeople. In Peru, a small family started a cooperative to employ a deaf uncle who had trouble finding work in a city that openly discriminated against people with disabilities. “They started this cooperative for the uncle, and they’ve since hired other people with disabilities,” Kevin says. “They make these beautiful woven wall hangings.”
Momentum’s business has benefited from an unlikely trend, too: recycled chic. “We sell so many recycled products,” says Jenny. “This is the first time in my lifetime that I’ve seen recycled things be kind of chic—fashionable purses made out of pull tabs from pop cans; things like that. Recycled fashion, it’s a new thing and there’s more of it coming out every year.” The pop-tab collection includes tote bags, shoulder bags, handbags, clutches and messenger bags, all made from 100-percent post-consumer aluminum pull tabs by women working at Escama Studio in Brazil. An Escama Studio handbag sells for $84.95 at Momentum. The Escama Studio website, escamastudio.com, states the number of artisans creating the purses has grown from 12 to more than 100, and that the artisans, all women, earn a living wage for their work. “Income generated from their craft work is significantly higher than the Brazilian minimum monthly wage,” the site says.
“I think as the fair-trade name becomes more common, people are looking for it,” Kevin says. “They’re starting to recognize the labels, they’re starting to recognize the name, and they’re asking for it. Years ago, you couldn’t walk into just any store and find fair-trade products; you had to go to a fair-trade store. Now King Soopers carries fair-trade products.”
Mark Collins is a freelance writer who lives in Boulder.
Momentum (303-440-7744; ourmomentum.com) is at 1625 Pearl St., Boulder 80302. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, the shop is open daily: Sun-Thurs 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm. It is closed Jan. 1-12, 2012. Normal business hours are Tues-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm, and closed Mondays. Contact the store for details about monthly events to benefit local charities. Ask about the free Momentum membership, which includes an annual $15.00 birthday gift card.
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