Tot Shop Offers Fair Trade Products
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"We're not trying to compete with the other stores here," said Shima co-owner Suzy Helme on Friday. "We're offering an alternative for parents trying to find ethically sensitive items."
That means offering everything from diaper bags made from recycled soda bottles to Moby wraps to environmentally friendly gDiapers, a biodegradable diaper that can be flushed away. The store also carries maternity and new mom products, such as a skin care line from Erbavivia.
"The closest place you can get some of these things is Brattleboro [Vt.]," said Helme, who moved to North Adams from Brooklyn, N.Y., about four years ago.
<L2>The name of the store, Shima, is a Navajo word for mother or aunt. Its bright green sign complete with chirping bird was installed on Friday at 105 Main St.
Helme and partner Libbie Pike have been scoping out products that adhere to their mission of offering fair trade, sustainable, organic and handmade items.
That doesn't mean no "Made in China" wares, said Pike. "But I'd say 98 percent were made in America."
"We realize that not all stuff from China is made in sweat shops," said Helme.
Their store reflects their own experiences as moms: Helme has a 2 1/2-year-old and her second child is due in April; Pike has a 1 1/2-year-old and her second is due in June. They had trouble finding socially-conscious baby items so figured other parents in the area probably did to.
Helme also owns FocoLoco, a children's clothing line made in the USA from organically grown materials and created from her designs. Some of the clothing line will also be available at Shima and both plan to spend part of their time at the store making children's clothes and other baby items to sell.
Pike, a Williamstown native, has a background in massage and yoga.<L3>
The women also will offer parenting groups and playtime and story sessions in an effort to make the store a gathering place for like-minded parents and their children.
"We're thinking of things that parents can come and discuss, like using cloth diapers," said Helme. "They're very eco-friendly and also friendly to your wallet because they last longer."
They recently sponsored the screening of "The Business of Being Born," a documentary on how childbirth in this nation has changed into big business, at Images Cinema in Williamstown.
The women have been at work transforming the interior of the former Galadriel's store over the past few months. Behind the paper-covered storefront, the clothing store has been refurbished with a hint if whimsy. A tree with multicolored leaves peeks out from behind a bright-hued shelving unit; old pipes have been reconfigured for hanging children's outfits, and the office/work area is designed like a playhouse.
<L4>"We actually owe a lot to Galadriel's," said Helme. "We recycled a lot of the material that was left behind."
The store will have its soft opening Tuesday; a grand opening is scheduled for March 22.
