Good World Goods offers fair trade items such as these handmade ornaments from Africa.
Good World Goods offers a variety of teas and cups from Nepal.
Good World Goods offers fair trade items such as these jewelry items from Africa, Mexico and India.
Good World Goods offers fair trade items such as these handbags made from natural cotton and hemp from Nepal.
Swazi Fire Sauce from Swaziland is among the fair trade items available at Good World Goods.When Victoria York and her husband opened their Hixson retail gift store, Good World Goods, about three years ago, they had a goal in mind – to be globally responsible.
To that end, York and husband, Brad Tomlinson, only buy Fair Trade items, goods that are purchased directly from the artisan making them, ensuring that money made from the sale gets back to the maker, not a vast international corporation.
Success of Good World Goods has taken it from a 350-square-foot boutique on Hixson Pike to a 3,000-square-foot store in East Brainerd. And, while still buying items from artisans around the world, York and Tomlinson also turn their eyes to the Chattanooga area.
“We opened the store hoping to give opportunities to artisans both globally and in our own hometown,” York says. “My husband and I have always strived to be socially aware. We were both blessed to have parents who taught us empathy and have an appreciation for the arts, so we knew when we opened our store we wanted to focus on giving back and acquiring goods that are ethically sourced.
“In addition to Fair Trade, we have expanded to include local artisans and donate a meal to the Chattanooga Food Bank with every purchase. There is still so much more we want to do to make an impact against poverty, and we really look to our guests to support us and show us what’s important to them.”