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Interview with Ellen Reich, founder and owner of Three Stone Steps

 

Norma: What products does Three Stone Steps sell?

Ellen: Three Stone Steps sells fairly made fashion accessories (mostly for women, but for men, too) imported from Cambodia, but with hope, soon from other places around the planet.  The accessories are made of cotton, silk, and recycled materials and include everything from business card cases to laptop bags made from recycled mosquito netting. 

Norma: Where do your products come from and who makes them?

Ellen: The Three Stone Steps' products currently are all made in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.   They are all made in small workshops or at homes.   

Norma: Tell me about yourself and why you got into eco-friendly fashion accessories.

Ellen: When it was time for a change from my 15 years working in the labor movement, I decided to start a fair trade import business.  Obviously, when having a values-driven business, being green is a value as important  as justice for workers.

I also saw a lack of fair trade items that were attractive to urban, more sophisticated tastes.  While there's nothing wrong with it, most fair trade stores items are marginalized into special shops, and tends toward the hippie-ethnic. Green items also sometimes share the same fate, but to a smaller extent.   As far as building a movement for fair trade and green commerce, I thought it important to carry items that could work in a wide variety of boutiques and shops which would help spread the word, and not just sell to those who are already converted to fair trade and eco-friendly goods. 

Norma: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Ellen: Three Stone Steps is tiny, a one-woman operation, with a deep commitment to highly personalized service to online retail customers and wholesale customers. 

There are relatively few items offered, and almost all have been partially designed by Three Stone Steps to appeal to urbane and funky tastes.  Although there are quite a few fair trade outlets selling accessories, Three Stone Steps prides itself on selling high quality items.

Norma: Thanks, Ellen.  Go to http://www.threestonesteps.com/  to  find if Ellen's fashion accessories are available in a store near you or to order online.

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