I have been coveting this amazing lumbar pillow from The Citizenry. If you don't know about them, hop on over and take a look. Not only do they carry amazing hand made goods from around the world, but they have a business model even The Pope would approve of. (Disclaimer - I claim no religion, just really digging that guy right now.) In their words "Country by country, we partner with master artisans, blending our modern style with their time-tested techniques...With fair trade standards, our artisan partners are given the best prices for their skills." The lumbar pillow is fairly priced at $195. It is handwoven from naturally dyed sheep wool and takes 3 days to make by a fair trade cooperative of Zapotec women in Oaxaca. 3 days!! Totally worth it, right?
Then today, I fall down the rabbit hole that is Instagram - and I find this pillow...
...from Urban Outfitters. For only $69. "Imported." Which at first I was pretty excited about. But then a return to our Ethos: Buy Once, Buy Well. I feel like we should also tack on Buy With Purpose. The purpose in this case being to employ people who have honed their craft over generations and produce a spectacular product. People who produce with care and love and deserved to get paid for a job bloody well done! So I'm saving my coins and waiting to buy the amazing hand made lumbar pillow from The Citizenry. And when I finally get it, I will love that pillow and I will feel good about my purchase. More than a "oh wow! That pillow looks amazing" way. In that way you feel when someone makes you a cake from scratch, or knits you a scarf. Or the way you feel when you have waited for something for so long and it's finally yours and worth every second of the wait. Wouldn't it be great if every purchase felt like that? Yep. I'm pretty sure The Pope would agree.
xoxo