Shop asks businesses to play fair

World cultures converge in a store in Nob Hill, yet most people pass without giving it a second glance.

Jim Nuestal, Peacecraft’s director, said the store started 21 years ago with a simple plan: Gather goods from economically disadvantaged communities from around the globe and sell them in Albuquerque to aid impoverished countries.

He said Peacecraft seeks smaller businesses, which don’t allow workers to earn nearly as much money in their own communities, and negotiates a fair trade agreement.

“What it really boils down to is we treat the people we buy from fairly,” Nuestal said. “That way we can make a difference in people’s lives around the world.”

Amy Foust, a UNM student who works at Peacecraft, said people need to know that Albuquerque has a fair trade store.
“People don’t realize the consequences of free trade,” she said. “Fair trade supports families and communities and treats them like people. And they produce wonderful products.”

One such product is cashews, Nuestal said. The cashews are bought from Honduras, the second poorest country in this hemisphere, sold in Albuquerque, and the profits are given to the workers who normally would only receive $2 a day.

Peacecraft is not only about international connections. Nuestal said it is also involved in the Albuquerque community. The company promotes local goods and events, and UNM’s Fair Trade Initiative is regularly in contact with the store.

Nuestal said the community can buy goods at the store it probably wouldn’t find elsewhere, such as international coffees and chocolates, dresses from Vietnam and musical instruments from Kenya. Shoppers can also learn more about the communities and their conditions through the store.

“We want to make a difference here, too,” Nuestal said. “What we do here is something pretty special, and we want people to get involved.”
Not only can people can get involved through UNM’s Fair Trade Initiative, but they can also volunteer with Peacecraft. Nuestal said the store is always in need of people to help in retail because all the employees are volunteers or work-study students. He said he encourages the public to take a look around the store and either buy goods or volunteer to further the fair trade cause.

“They can get things that are interesting and useful and unique — because most of what we sell is handmade, it is unique — and feel good about using a bowl they buy or the skirt they’re wearing,” he said. “Because they’re making a difference.”