About
OVERVIEW
Founder's story
Crossroads Trade began when Kate Harris realized that many ethnic art traditions weren't represented in Greater Boston. A lifelong traveler and folk art collector, she began exploring how to bring in those crafts and make them more accessible to the general public.
As a long-time political organizer, she was surprised and delighted to find that she felt politically more effective as a merchant than she did as an activist, because she was putting money in artisans' hands.
Our mission
In addition to seeking the finest work available today, Crossroads Trade emphasizes the uncommon. Many items you will see on these pages and on our website are not available in stores or online. We showcase work from producer groups whose traditions are little known in the United States. Each year we scout new locales to identify new artisans and traditions.
Our goals are to delight, inspire and build bridges between producers and consumers.
Our philosophy
Crossroads Trade is dedicated to ensuring fair trade. The crafts are purchased directly from artisans, cooperatives, refugee communities, economic development initiatives and a limited number of wholesalers who subscribe to fair trade principles. Artisans are paid promptly, receive a fair wage by local standards and set the prices for their work. Working conditions are clean, safe and accessible.
The types of products we sell
Our customers' most consistent comment: "Great stuff!" Whether it's a $1.50 critter or a show-stopping Inuit spirit mask,our hallmark is quality. We look for superbly crafted pieces with vitality,exuberance, innovation and whimsy. Many of our wares are one-of-a-kind and small-scale production. We love finding pieces made from natural media or recycled materials.
Where the producers live and work
Our producers live worldwide from Alaska to Bolivia to Syria to South Africa.
Wherever, they are, artisans' lives are arduous. Many are in refugee camps, or destitute, windswept villages where their traditional arts are the only viable living. Getting their products to consumers, however, remains a formidable barrier. Often artisans must walk many miles to bring their work out of the villages.
Projects we support
Our primary focus is on scouting and purchasing in areas where others don't go, or in bringing in overlooked ethnic arts.
Far and away our biggest commitment is to the Kuna people of Panama. For more than ten years, we have been visiting their islands, and purchasing one-of-a-kind textiles, called "molas" from the women.
We also contribute significantly to projects employing Palestinian refugees and maintaining their traditional arts.
Bolivia is another country where we seek out traditional textiles, and help artisans develop salable products using their motifs and techniques.
How we select what we sell
We select all the items we sell from a mix of fair trade wholesalers, producer groups, employment projects and individual artisans. We include items to accommodate all ages and budgets and many interests, across a wide spectrum of countries.
Quality is always our bottom line. We look for creativity, fine design, sturdiness and excellent finishing.
What makes us unique
Our store is a feast for the senses. The colors pop, the designs dazzle and the ingenuity delights. Combine these with our singular emphasis on quality and our fair trade commitment, and there's no other place like it!
More information about us
We are always collecting donations of reading glasses, vitamins and medical supplies to bring on buying trips. If you're in the area, please drop them off at our store.
We'd also like to tell you
Come visit us at www.crossroadstrade.com to see more of our wares. Or visit us at our retail store in the Boston area. We're located at 271 Harvard Street in Brookline, right at Coolidge Corner.