I have a terrible habit. Shopping. Not the kind done in U.S. malls on weekends. I'm talking shopping during my travels overseas (particularly for textiles). I have fabrics from Senegal, wall hangings and pillows from East Timor, silk pillow covers from Thailand and Cambodia, hand-woven baskets from Lesotho and necklaces from just about everywhere I've ever visited. I always take an extra bag along that is brimming full by the end of my trips. The weekend market in Bangkok has certainly gotten an economic boost from my travels. But now I've discovered armchair shopping on two great websites (both with stores in Washington, D.C.) which are focused on fair trade goods. http://www.novica.com/ which is affiliated with National Geographic and StoreFront which is operated by the IFC. It's not a complete substitute by any means for my market bargaining and feeling of bliss when I find the perfect bowl or fabric, but it sure is nice on a rainy Sunday in June.
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