Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Poulos.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I embarked on the journey of starting my own business, Sandpiper Imports, about five years ago. I had an extensive retail management background but had grown frustrated with many corporate policies and was increasingly uncomfortable selling products that I didn’t know the origin of and that were of sub-par quality. When I decided to start my own business I made a list of things that were important to me. I realized that I highly valued building strong long-term relationships with those I worked with and that I wanted to respect the value and beauty of products that reflected the creativity of another culture. Developing transparent & accountable relationships and respecting cultural identity are 2 key principles of fair trade, something I was only vaguely familiar with at the time. I did some research about fair trade and discovered that there was a wonderful non-profit organization called Chicago Fair Trade – right in my own backyard there was a built-in community and network of successful fair trade business owners and passionate advocates who generously gave their time and advice as I wrote my business plan.
I headed to Southeast Asia on my first buying trip with a budget and an open mind – ready to embrace whatever culture and products spoke to me. A friend recommended that Bali could be a good source of beautifully handcrafted products so I booked a flight there from Thailand, and as soon as I stepped off the plane I knew I’d found exactly what I was looking for. On just my second day there I met Nyoman, the founder of the silversmith group that I still work with today, through a friend of a neighbor of an employee at the hostel where I was staying. Already the sense of community, of collaboration, of warmth and friendliness in their culture was strongly apparent. My first day-long meeting with Nyoman was so memorable, not only for the discovery of the gorgeous handcrafted products he and his team of artisans created but through my discussions with him about his past, his dream to build his own business, and his evident pride in the success he was just beginning to obtain at that point.
He shared with me that at the age of 6 he began working in a silver shop every day, polishing all the silver pieces, to earn money so he could go to school. His family was very poor, despite his parents both working several jobs, and they weren’t able to send him otherwise. Upon graduating, he had the drive and ambition to create a silversmith business on his own terms.
He built a living compound with gardens and temples right next to his workshop where the single male artisans could live if they chose so they wouldn’t have to commute so far from the distant villages where they were from. He loves to garden and proudly shows me the new things he has planted each time I visit. He developed products that his women artisans could work on from home if they had small children to attend to. He ensured that each and every one of his artisans earned more than the average living wage in that area of Bali so that all of their children could go to school, not to work. He has grown very slowly but steadily and I am proud to contribute to that growth – from a team of 3 full-time artisans to 12 (as well as 20 more artisans he has trained to send contract work to when orders are larger).
Sandpiper Imports has grown slowly but steadily as well. I am a business member of the national organization The Fair Trade Federation, wholesale my jewelry line to numerous fair trade stores and boutiques across the country, am co-chair of the board of Chicago Fair Trade, and also work part-time for The Greenheart Shop, the only fair trade brick and mortar store in Chicago.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been a lot of struggles and learning curves. One of the top challenges has been finding the right people to hire for certain projects that I have little experience or lack of skill with, like creating an effective website or a video montage of my artisans. And cash flow is always a challenge with a small business!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sandpiper Imports story. Tell us more about the business.
When I first started out, sterling silver jewelry was not something most people thought of as being a fair trade product. There was a lot of resistance to the higher price point in traditional fair trade stores and settings but I was determined to be a part of shifting the thought process and giving consumers the opportunity to see how many different types of products can be ethically sourced and produced. Now you can find so many high quality and luxury fair trade products, like high end leather bags, wedding dresses and even precious jewelry made with fairly mined gold. It’s exciting to see the evolution happening where more and more consumers demand and expect all types of goods to be available as fair trade options.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Greenheart Shop
1714 N Wells St
Chicago IL 60614
Fair Trade brick and mortar in Chicago that carries Sandpiper Imports products (Greenheart is also a non-profit and not my business, but I work there as a sales associate part-time) - Website: https://sandpiperimports.com/
- Email: sandpiper@sandpiperimports.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandpiper_imports/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandpiperimports/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
