Three Stone Steps

Still here!

2009-06-24T11:27:00.002-04:00

Ah, the incredibly languishing blog. Looking for time and for inspiration for something to post, but have just been--and this is no excuse at all--very busy.

So, let me tell you a bit what I've been doing:

I've been peddling my wares at local weekly markets. If you're in the Baltimore-area, I can be found most Sundays at the Baltimore Bazaar section of the wonderful under the JFX farmers market. (The Baltimore Bazaar is not in the same place as all the wonderful produce and prepared foods, but across the street.

On Tuesdays, I've been at a sweet, small-ish community market. The Hamilton-Lauraville Market runs from 4-8pm and is on Harford Road across from Safeway.

I've also been busy deciding what's doing well of my new items for re-order. The answer is that people have really taken to almost all of the new products from the Phlippines, especially the abaca bags and the trash purses. Of course these are not yet on my site, which brings me to another reason I've been distracted:

I'm planning a major rehaul of my website.

And, lots go along with that.

But, no more excuses.

I'll write a wonderfully insightful, and funny blog post soon. Promise. (Ok. Maybe not wonderfully insightful and funny, but will definitely post.)

Taking the Easy Way Out: Mothers'/Mother's Day Post from 2008

2009-05-10T11:19:00.006-04:00

For this Mother's Day, I thought it best to re-post my Mother's Day/Mothers' Day post from last year, since nothing really has changed in the history between 2008 and 2009.

Happy Mothers' Day & Enjoy!

Ah, the apostrophe! Where would we be without it?

In my never ending quest to blog about holidays, I found Mothers' Day (with the apostrophe after the "s" ) to be much more to my liking. It's a communal thing: you know, collective action versus taking your mother out to brunch with free flowing mimosas and signing your name to a Hallmark card.

As with most things, there's some great background here, background that those marking Mother's Day eating out and shopping tend to forget. This first little bit is minimally edited from a website on West Virginia culture:

It started with Ann Marie Jarvis who organized a series of Mothers' Day Work Clubs in West Virginia to improve health and sanitary conditions. Among other services, the clubs raised money for medicine, hired women to work for families in which the mothers suffered from tuberculosis, and inspected bottled milk and food. In 1860, local doctors supported the formation of clubs in other towns.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad made a county in West Virginia a strategic site during the Civil War. Ann Jarvis urged the Mothers' Day Work Clubs to declare their neutrality and provide relief to both Union and Confederate soldiers. The clubs treated the wounded and regularly fed and clothed soldiers stationed in the area. Jarvis also managed to preserve an element of peace in a community being torn apart by political differences. During the war, she worked tirelessly despite the personal tragedy of losing four of her children to disease. In all, eight of her twelve children died before reaching adulthood.

But, that's not all. Julia Ward Howell, of Battle Hymn of the Republic fame, as well as an advocate for suffrage and a pacifist also envision Mothers' Day as an "s" apostrophe holiday. In fact, she wrote a poetic proclamation:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

How the holiday morphed from one promoting the great and general interests of peace to one promoting (unfairly traded) floral bouquets and canned sentiment is far beyond the scope of this blog, and perhaps my somewhat rusty research skills. But, with that said, Happy Mothers' Day to all!

Just in time for Mother's Day: A Trunk Show!

2009-04-29T17:40:00.004-04:00

Please join me at Alexa Webb Artisan Jewelry, on May 7, from 6 to 8 pm for a Three Stone Steps trunk show, where we'll be unveiling brand new items from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Pictured left is a great new travel set, a cosmetic case and jewelry pouch, made of jacquard silk from Vietnam. The set costs $25, or $15 each piece.

And, to the right, we have a cute, perfect for that summer event clutch fairly made in the Philippines of seagrass. If seagrass isn't eco-chic enough for you, the lining is made from recycled flour sacks. And, you can carry this this incredibly sweet bag for a sweet price. It's a mere $23!

Oh, and there's so much more! New hand loomed silk scarves from Cambodia. New colors of the very popular silk screen on cotton messenger bag, more colors and styles of the lovely Angkor bag, complete with matching silk wallets, and purses made from recycled junk food wrappers.

We'll be serving some light refreshments, and hope that you'll join us.

Alexa Webb Artisan Jewelry is in Federal Hill, at 1028 S. Charles Street.

And, why do you think they call it the "Manila envelope?"

2009-04-28T21:08:00.014-04:00

I received a shipment from the Philippines last week. Three Stone Steps now has brand new colors and designs of messenger bags and other personal accessories. Very exciting. But what's actually blogworthy is that these bags come in rarely seen in the U.S. fibers. So, in addition to mosquito netting , recycled meta l, silk, and cotton, Three Stone Steps now boasts such fibers as recycled tetra pack (think those little juice boxes where you poke a hole with a straw) and used (but clean) junk food wrappers, bamboo (made into hip jewelry), seagrass, and abaca. Of all these wonderful fibers, I must admit to having somewhat of a mini-obsession with abaca. Plus "abaca" is just such a magical sounding word.

I've posted photos of my abaca products before on this blog--in the should Venus, the mannequin, be naked post--but it's time to do it again so you can see just what I'm talking about:

Cute, huh?

Anyway, without getting all Latin plant name on you, abaca is the fiber from a tree that looks exactly like a banana tree, just without the fruit. The fiber is harvested from the outer sheaths of the trunk, a process done by hand that doesn't harm the tree at all. In fact, in a couple of years, the same outer sheath grows back. And, while abaca is grown in various parts of the world, it's said to be indigenous to the Philippines, and the Philippines leads the world in its production. Ok. End of botany lesson.

Abaca is generally considered to be the strongest natural fiber available. In fact, cordage, especially for ships' ropes, is among its most notable use. And, not only is its strength legendary, abaca is incredibly lightweight. Talk about having it all.

But wait, there's more. Abaca, this friendliest of eco-friendly fibers is, at least in the Philippines, grown by small farmers, working maybe five or ten hectares. So, we're not talking some big multinational paying workers peanuts to harvest this fiber on plantations, this fiber comes from real small farmers. And, once it's in fiber form, it's taken to another small producer to dye and weave. All this is done by hand, too. And, then the producer I work with, on the big southern Philippine island of Mindanao, and I figure out how to design this woven fiber into bags you will love.

These bags have other special, eco-friendly features like lining made from recycled flour sacks, but I'll leave the inside of the bag for another post.

Oh, and the Manila envelope trivia question thing? Abaca is sometimes called Manila hemp. And, envelopes used to be made out of it, hence the Manila envelope. And, now you know.

Energizing Earth Day Post

2009-04-22T09:38:00.003-04:00

Happy Earth Day.

I have a little dog named Fellini. (Yes, I named the Fellini Pannolini bag after a little stray found in Patterson Park over five years ago.)

If you don't know him, well, here's a photo:

And, his brother, Mingus, (who coincidentally has a bag named after him) is in the background. since it wouldn't be fair to leave him out.

But, back to Earth Day and energy. Fellini is a high energy dog. Maybe the highest energy dog ever. He's a wonderful, funny, loving animal, but he's difficult to tire out. And, I often look at him in amazement and think, why can't I harness this energy?

I think if there was some way to hook him up, ethically and humanely, mind you, his energy could, at the very least, power my house and, at most, the entire eastern seaboard. I used to think that Fellini alone had enough energy to rid us of the need for coal fired power plants, but, you know, Fellini is now pushing six, and he can't have this energy forever.

I've been mulling this over when watching him. I think about it when I see people run or bike around the same park. All this energy, and why isn't it harnessed?

Then, I watched a video on a sustainable dance floor:

I watch this and think, hey! that's my idea! A case of great minds thinking alike, and all that. I think this is just the beginning.

And, if anyone has an idea for how I can hook up Fellini to a nice, safe generator, please let me know.

Shooting in Outerspace. Booblehead Not Included.

2009-04-17T11:28:00.004-04:00

I'm on the seemingly never ending journey of shooting my new products (many of which aren't even here now, but I have samples. And, they should be here soon. Fingers crossed.)

Anyway, most of the photos are just suspended in outer space. You know, white background. A focus on the product. And, the photos end up looking like this:

Actually, these are lovely (and, in stock, although not on the Three Stone Steps site yet). I mean, who wouldn't love a cute jacquard silk cosmetic bag and jewelry pouch set, fairly traded from Vietnam?

But, you know, shooting photos like this doesn't exactly scratch one's creative itch. (Ok. I did use my little light box outside, instead of inside with a lot of lamps. Chalk that up to my concern with my carbon footprint, my desire not to give our dastardly gas & electric company, BGE, one more cent, and wanting to be outside on a gorgeous day. And, that did provide some challenges, although not exactly of the creative kind.)

So, I moved on to shooting my very eco-chic bamboo earrings, which should be here Friday. At this point, I'm pretty much just testing. And, in a moment of incredible inspiration some weeks ago, I decided to name these the Let's Go O's earrings. (And, yes, they will be available in O's orange.) And, what could be better than O's earrings, than pairing them up with Cal Ripken?

I don't really know if a photo like this will make it to the website, but, we'll see. Bobblehead not included.

Blue Skies Smiling at Me

2009-04-16T10:11:00.020-04:00

For the first time, in what seems like forever, the sun is shining and the sky is blue here in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, home of the worldwide headquarters of Three Stone Steps.

And, with this weather, my thoughts turn to this weekend, specifically for Saturday, when the weather is supposed to be even more glorious, and Three Stone Steps will be in Druid Hill Park to take part in, for the second time, Baltimore's EcoFes t.

Last year, EcoFest was terrific fun and incredibly inspiring (almost, but not quite as inspiring as everyone's new favorite singer, Susan Boyle--ha!-trying to figure out a way to get Susan Boyle in this post, and I did!) If you're interested in what I thought about this wonderful event last year, I did blog about it in 2008, and it can be found right here.

And, if you're hoping for a sneak peak on what Three Stone Steps will have on tap, well, our famous repurposed mosquito netting items will have some special (read low) pricing, and, with hope--praise deity of your choice and fingers crossed--some brand spankin' new items from the Philippines. But, don't hold your breath.

If you make it there, please stop by and say hi.

WSVW?

2009-04-10T18:00:00.002-04:00

WSVW= What Should Venus Wear?

Venus is the name of my armless mannequin. (Incredibly obvious name, I know.) Anyway, I use Venus to show off Three Stone Steps' bags, so that buyers can get a sense of their size and how to wear them. However, she is naked. This never bothered me before. In fact, I thought that usually a mannequin was much less alienating than using a live model, since, well, since live models can sometimes be intimidating because, well, who looks like that? (Of course, Venus has the same ridiculous dimensions as a Barbie doll, so that theory has more than a few holes.) Anyway, I just shot some more photos, and realized that this nudity is not good. It's time to dress Venus.
But, What should Venus wear?

I'd love your suggestions!

Naked Venus models an abaca shoulder bag, with recycled flour sack lining, with little abaca flower brooch.

Naked Venus is carrying the mint green color of the Luna Shoulder Bag, in repurposed mosquito netting. (It's on sale, by the way.)

Even More Test Shots

2009-04-10T11:25:00.004-04:00

It was a perfect overcast day for photography with my little point and shoot camera, so I decided to try out more photos in context.

All these items are from the Philippines, and should--fingers crossed, diety of your choice willing--will be here at Three Stone Steps by next week.

(This cute lime green bag is made from abaca, and lined with a used industrial plastic sack. The very sweet abaca flower is sold separately.)

Dangles made with bamboo, coconut bead, and some seed. They'll be available in many hip and fun colors.

I'm least happy with this photo, although not with the product, which is a cute, summery clutch made out of seagrass, and line with recycled flour sacks.

Well, there you have it. Some new products shot in some new context. We'll see just what I'll end up doing with these photos when I get ready to load them to my site.

Photos with Backgrounds: A Little Test

2009-04-09T11:47:00.004-04:00

While I'm waiting for my brand spankin' new products to arrive, maybe tomorrow, from Vietnam, and the very great, very unique items from the Philippines sometime next week, I thought I'd experiment a bit with shooting the products with a bit more flair, and just not, as a friend described, floating out there.

I've done a little test with my lovely fake grass. I shot a sample of my new little purses, made with raw silk, and decorated with a mod flower. Here it is:

I can't wait to get them. I'll also have these amazingly cute and oh so affordable purses in black with gray flowers, and yellow with purple flowers, but thought I'd start my test with just one.

So, what do you think?

Krakow, Phnom Penh, and Remembrance: A difficult post

2009-04-08T09:14:00.014-04:00

I returned on Sunday from a two week, unexpected, free, and non-Three Stone Steps related trip to Poland. I've never had much desire to go to that Central/Eastern Europe nation, but my partner's provenance is, as he likes to say, 100 percent pure Polish, and, well, free airline tickets are hard to resist.

Poland, especially the area around Krakow--a lovely, if overly touristy city--was, during World War II, the epicenter of the Nazi atrocities. And, certain Krakovians are oh so cleverly taking advantage of this fact, opening "Jewish style" restaurants, offering tours to Schindler's factory, the Jewish ghetto, and, above all, to Auschwitz. It was all very disturbing, this overt marketing of a lost Jewish community in a Disneyland kind of way, and this marketing of a genocide. But, maybe some people need to be reminded, or worse yet, even learn what happened. Ok, and also disturbing is that no one running the tours, or really awful restaurants were actually Jewish. There was this mythologized version of it all; as if there was some really colorful people and past that is now gone. It's all well, it's too bad, but we'll play loads of uplifting Klezmer music anyway!

So, what does this have to do with Three Stone Step s' silk scarves, bags, and other fine fashion accessories? Well, they are from Cambodia, a nation with a much more recent genocide. I've been to Cambodia, specifically Phnom Penh, often. My first time there, I visited the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, a chilling experience since it's left pretty much it was when abandoned by the Khmer Rouge in 1979. It's very respectful, and the staff actually consists of actual Cambodians. I've met Cambodians over 35. Lovely people, as soon as they have some time alone with you, they talk and talk about life under the Khmer Rouge, still trying to make sense of the horrors.

So, it was with some dismay that today I read a New York Times article titled, "Pain of Khmer Rouge Era Lost on Cambodian Youth." It's all really chilling. As horrific as it is to remember the atrocities, it's even more horrific to forget.

I'm sure marketing gurus would tell me not to publish this post. Who wants to hear about genocide when purchasing a messenger bag? But, Cambodians still live in Cambodia. I work with one producer who has told me about life under the Khmer Rouge. All the people she hires are her age or older, and are mostly polio and landmine victims. Cambodia may the land of the amazing Angkor Wat, and incredibly beautiful silk products, but scratch the surface, and you'll find people still trying to make sense of the not too distant past.

Now that this post is finished, I promise that my next one will be more uplifting.

News from the United Nations

2009-03-04T12:30:00.005-05:00

This fits in both the better late than never and the I didn't know that, but I lived quite well without knowing that departments, but as of January 2009, we are in the International Year of Natural Fibers, or Fibres, if you prefer.

And, why does this matter? Well, Three Stone Step s is proud to carry three of the fifteen natural fibers/fibres listed. In the silk category, we carry that great silk Angkor shoulder bag, and fantastic silk scarves, and jewelry rolls. We'll be getting more colors in the shoulder bag along with matching wallets, and great new colors of the silk scarves. And, while we're at it, we're also introducing fabulous new cosmetic bags, jewelry pouches, and great little purses made of silk, and a silk/linen blend from Vietnam.

For cotton, we will be getting in more of the popular silk screen on cotton messenger bag, and a new style bag in the same pattern.

But, what's most exciting about this year is that it's also the year of abaca. I won't spill all the beans now, but be prepared for great new messenger bags, and other great things to carry made of this amazing, sustainable fiber. If you want a sneak peek, courtesy of the UN, check this out. Much, much more soon!

More on Weaving

2009-02-26T10:45:00.009-05:00

Ok, way back in January, I promised to post on embroidery in Vietnam, but I decided it was way more fun to contine on the theme of weaving. I hope you don't mind.

Three Stone Step s get the majority of its silk--and all its cotton products--from Cambodia, and, most of this is from Takeo Province, which is about two hours by car from the capital of Phnom Penh. Some of the silk we carry from the province is found in the Angkor should er bag, and in the luxurious silk scarf in two tones. And, this Spring, Three Stone steps will have new products from Takeo silk: scarves, in a mixture of organza and raw silk, in fantastic colors, of course, and new colors and patterns for the Angkor shoulder bag, with matching wallets to boot. But, as usual, I get carried away and digress.

Anyway, the silk weaving process in Takeo is very different from that found in Vietnam--as seen in the post below--since in Cambodia, almost all weaving is done by hand, whereas in Vietnam, much is done by machine. As you might imagine, this is what makes silk woven in Cambodia some of the finest in the world, and makes it more expensive than the textile found in Vietnam.

But, on to the silk weaving photos:
This is what the silk looks like before anything is done to it. Sadly (and, vegans, avert your eyes now!) I haven't seen the entire process, starting with the silk worm eating the mulberry leaves thing, but I do know that neither Thailand or Cambodia have much of a sericulture culture. In fact, most of the silk woven in those countries comes from the sericulture village in Vietnam. (And, that's on the list for the next trip.)

So, this silk is lovely, but it can be lovelier by being dyed. In Cambodia, it's done by hand, and here's a bit of the process:

In caes you were wondering, it's being dyed a lovely deep aubergine.

More steps in the silk process include spinning the silk threads on to bobbins.

And, please not the bicycle tire rim used as part of the weaving process. A great example of reuse, the second law in the reduce/reuse/recycle mantra.

And, of course, the weaving:

Lone weaver.Working together to fix the warp.

And, some of the finished product:

Ready for market or for Three Stone Steps most discerning customers!

Silks and Threads

2009-01-10T04:04:00.003-05:00

Greetings from Vietnam.

On Thursday, I was treated to an overview of the silk process when visiting the "silk village" not terribly far from Hanoi. The specialty of this villagers here --doesn't the word "villagers" sound so wonderfully quaint?"--is the weaving and dying of silk. (Just so you know, other villages around Hanoi specialize in things as different as making ceramics, carving horn and bone, and brewing snake wine.) So, given the way the craft system is split up, the "silk village" didn't really provide an entire overview in a soup to nuts type way, since silk worm raising is done in another village, and extracting the silk from the cocoon is done in yet another. So, by the time you get to the village I visited, all the real messy work has happened. Of course, once the villagers get finished with their part of the process, the silk goes hither and yon to be used for whatever....

Anyway, here's the earliest part of the silk process I saw. Silk thread in a rawish state:

Sometimes the thread is woven in its natural color, and other time the thread is dyed before weaving. Silk is made into different thickness for threads, and here's some silk that has been dyed and spooled out to use before weaving:

The workshop I visited had booth a loom to use by hand, and many machine looms. Below is a woman who did hand looming. She motioned for me to try it out. It wasn't a great start. First, I hit my head getting in the loom contraption, and then, well, it was similar to teaching someone steps to a dance when once doesn't speak the same language, so it was a series of pointing at one leg, my arm, another leg, my other arm. While it was funny in that universal way of watching someone mess up, I'm happy to leave silk weaving to the professionals.

A woman operating one of the many machine looms is just below. With all the looms going, it's very loud, and I expected a Vietnamese Norma Rae to emerge at any moment. [Cue to clip of Sally Field standing on a table holding sign that reads UNION....]

Like the sheets used in a player piano, silk patterns come on rolls in a series of dots.

As said above, some silk thread is dyed before weaving, and some afterwards. Below is a photo of a heap o' silk ready to be bathed in color.

And, here we have the dyer at work. The color was a gorgeous deep blue.

In my next post, I'll show you some of the "painting" done with silk thread. Of course, that's in another village.

My Online World & More Metal!

2008-12-16T13:03:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been playing around a bit on Squidoo, in fact, writing even more about the funky cuff bracelets I had made from recycled metal. If you've not heard quite enough about the subject, you can find even more on my Metal Art from Haiti lens here.

I've also been Twittering myself silly. It's fun and non-committal, and you can find Three Stone Steps' random musings right here.

And, I'm happy--I think--to say that I found the red le roi shown below a new, good home!

One of my Favorites from Haiti

2008-12-12T11:13:00.003-05:00

I found this fantastically wonderful, amazing beaded bag in Haiti. I have one in red, too, and it's below, but the blue is my favorite.They have great faces, and none of my existing bags have faces. In fact, none of the scarves have faces.

I'm selling these. They aren't on Three Stone Steps, but I'm selling them live, as we speak, in DC, at the Downtown Holiday Marketplace, in front of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art/National Portrait Gallery. I just, quite blissfully, have the day off.

The fashion accessories I sell are there, too. I have those great mosquito netting bags, in the cross body, messenger, and shoulder bag styles. I have those silk scarves that are affordable luxury, but I have noticed how people just look at my buddies, Le Roi.

If you're in the area, I hope you'll come and see the King(s) live!

Fantastic Recycled Oil Drum Cuff Bracelets Have Arrived!

2008-12-05T17:57:00.002-05:00

I'm tickled to announce that I have at long last--well, after about two weeks--have the fantastic metal cuff bracelets I had made in Haiti from recycled 55-gallon oil drums on my site. You can find these pieces of wearable art right here.

These make a perfect and unique gift. Of course, you may jut want one for yourself.

And, here's a photo of the artisan modeling his work:

Pretty cool, huh?

Haiti, first video of first trip

2008-12-02T10:16:00.004-05:00

For your viewing pleasure, my first ever video of my first ever trip to Haiti.

(This is the same video as the one posted below, but maybe of a higher quality??)

Haiti, November 2008: My first computer movie about my first time to Haiti

2008-12-01T21:16:00.005-05:00

Enjoy. And, please let me know if you've any questions or comments. Thanks!

(And, a quick note: For some technical reason well beyond my ability, the video looks best without the full screen view. This, I might add, is not the case when watching it directly on my computer. If I can figure out how to embed a better quality video, I'll do it.)

What's left to say?

2008-11-05T12:46:00.001-05:00

What an amazing night. What an amazing day. What hope there is for the future.

Anyway, it's hard to sum out how I feel. I just received my New Yorker in the mail today, and the cover shows a a large red tunnel and a blue light at the end of it. Sort of sums everything up perfectly.

Build a Beard; Help Kiva

2008-10-31T16:01:00.002-04:00

This is great fun and free and helps a good cause.

Check this out!

Don't like this beard, well, there's more to choose from.

We Are the World

2008-10-26T12:12:00.005-04:00

Being a global type myself, it's always interesting what the world thinks of the U.S., especially during this election season. The Economist made an electoral college map of the world, and the results are here.

Very cool application. Have fun playing.

Endangered Elephants, or not a post about the G.O.P.

2008-10-23T09:35:00.005-04:00

Here at Three Stone Steps, we make sure we run our business in such a way that, at the very least, we do no harm to people or the planet, and, at best, we actually help people and the world at large.

Of course, not every business owner, small or large, thinks like this.

I came across this article on Reuters about how E-bay is going to ban the selling of ivory products on its site. I was shocked that ivory, from endangered elephants, is even being sold, let alone sold on E-bay, but it's not the first time that I've been shocked at people's tastes and their cruelty toward animals. (cf: A certain AK governor who paid money for the front paws of wolves shot from airplanes.)

Anyway, should you wish to buy non-harmful products, for gifts or for yourself, well, I've got 'em here!

These are (not at all) the Good Times

2008-10-16T18:47:00.004-04:00

By the time you read this, who knows what the economy will be like: Will the public radio show about finances be playing We're in the Money or Stormy Weather when talking about how the market closed?

I know we've all head enough about Wall Street and Main Street, and Three Stone Steps is firmly and virtually in the latter. But, then again, so are most of us.

Of course, given the stories one hears daily about people losing jobs, facing foreclosures, having difficulty feeding their families, people don't immediately think of buying a new messenger bag of recycled or repurposed materials, or a silk scarf.

Three Stone Steps knows that no one really and truly needs these things. Your old bag can probably be used for another season or year, and a new business card case is nice, but the rubber band works well, too. Reduce is the first "R" of the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra.

But, we do hope that if you decide to spend some discretionary funds on fashion accessories, you'll spend it with a company that shares your values of being fair trade, and sustainable in all meanings of that word, and buy products from a company like Three Stone Steps that is highly sensitive to working towards a fair and just world.

Three Stone Steps new tag line is sustainable. fair made. style. And, I'll always adhere to those three words. Promise.

Three Stone Steps in Bolton Hill tomorrow

2008-10-10T09:50:00.003-04:00

Three Stone Steps will be on the 1400 block of Bolton Street, in the lovely Bolton Hill section of Baltimore tomorrow to sell great eco-chic messenger bags, silk scarves, and many more of our great fashion accessories. The festival runs from 10am to 5pm.

Now, I know that given all that's happening with the election and the economy, not everyone's mind is exactly on buying a cross body bag made from post-consumer waste black plastic trash bags, but, really, it's as good a time as any.

Speaking of the economy, Bolton Hill is in Rep. Elijah Cumming's district. I'm not in his district, but Three Stone Steps is actually on his district's border. (His district begins across the street from Three Stone Steps' worldwide headquarters.)

While this is not new news, I did think that the Bolton Hill Representative did a knock out job when questioning our our taxpayer bailout money was spent by AIG:

If you have trouble hearing this, part of the text follows:

CUMMINGS: Let me describe for some of you the charges that the shareholders, taxpayers, had to pay. AIG spent $200,000 dollars for hotel rooms. Almost $150,000 for catered banquets. AIG spent $23,000 at the hotel spa and another $1,400 at the salon. They were getting manicures, facials, pedicures and massages while American people were footing the bill. And they spent another $10,000 dollars for I don’t know what this is, leisure dining. Bars?

Well, yet another one of those, it makes you think, huh?

Hope to see you tomorrow!