{"article":{"id":222768,"heading":"Exploitation-free holiday shopping with LA's first Fair Trade Pop-Up Store","author":"gwc","created":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","modified":"2008-12-06 23:46:17","last_modified":"Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:46:17","article":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>All products in the store will be from fair trade cooperatives and local artisans, guaranteeing fair wages and healthy working environments to their producers and guilt-free gifts for socially conscious consumers. Moreover, all proceedings from the store will go to the Garment Worker Center, a local non-profit organization that has been fighting against sweatshop conditions in LA's garment industry for the last seven years. <br><br> \"The Garment District is known for its cheap clothes and knock-off brands\", said Garment Worker Center Board member LaTrice Dixon. \"The untold story of the district are the 90.000 workers that make these clothes in small factories under often times unsafe and hazardous conditions. Our research shows that the average hourly wage of these workers is $3.28. We want to make a point in showing that even in the Garment District it is possible to get great gifts at affordable prices without exploiting workers. We invite all in Los Angeles and beyond to come and buy for their loved ones at our store and celebrate the strong struggle for justice and dignity by the garment workers in downtown LA.\" <br><br> The city of Los Angeles does not have a fully dedicated Fair Trade store. The Garment Worker Center's project will fill this gap just in time for the holiday season with a temporary pop-up-store, meaning that the store will disappear after the 11th. <br><br> Some of the products featured in the store are handmade silk purses from a women's cooperative in Cambodia and wooden toys from India. Many products are also based on sustainable materials, like notebooks from Sri Lanka made out of elephant dung and recycled paper bowls and jewelry products from Vietnam.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"","link":"http:\/\/www.garmentworkercenter.org","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"The Los Angeles Garment Worker Center has opened LA's first Fair Trade Pop-Up Store in the heart of downtown's garment district, making it possible to buy gifts for the holidays without exploiting workers.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store1.jpg","filesize":"33.5 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2008\/12\/222768.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store1.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store1.jpgthumb.jpg"}},"attachments":[{"id":222769,"heading":"Silk purses from a women\\'s cooperative in Cambodia","article":"","author":"gwc","parent_id":222768,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","modified":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store2.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store2.jpg"}},{"id":222770,"heading":"Fair Trade toys","article":"","author":"gwc","parent_id":222768,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","modified":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store6.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store6.jpg"}},{"id":222771,"heading":"Setting up the store","article":"","author":"gwc","parent_id":222768,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","modified":"2008-12-06 19:15:58","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store9.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2008\/12\/store9.jpg"}}],"comments":[]}