October Update

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Celebration of Cultures a few weeks ago. The fair trade chocolate samples received rave reviews; in fact, we are thinking of making fair trade chocolate a permanent addition to our store!

I loved getting to know so many people and organizations at the Celebration of Cultures. The Elephant Sanctuary and Heifer International were two of my favorite participants....great organizations.

Currently we are restocking merchandise for the holiday season. The coveted armwarmers will be back in new colors, and we'll be receiving some new items from fair trade company Avatar Imports. Keep an eye New Arrivals in the next few weeks!

Fair Trade Month at the Celebration of Cultures!

Hey, ghia fans! We're going to be at Nashville's Celebration of Cultures this Saturday, October 3. In honor of Fair Trade Month in October , we're going to bring all of our fair trade inventory get out the word about ethical shopping!

The Celebration of Cultures will take place in Centennial Park from 10am to 6pm. The free festival will include music, dance performances, food, children’s activities, world market vendors, and the Global Village, offering a diverse look at cultures from around the world.

This is a great time to let everyone know that fair trade products are affordable, stylish, and a great shopping choice!

CRAFT on Sunday, September 7!

Hi, peeps!

ghia will be at CRAFT: a creative community this Sunday, September 7. We'll be behind the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville from 11am to 5pm. Stop by and say hi!

Woodland Street at 14th Street
Nashville, TN 37206

P.S. - Thanks to everyone who stopped by the ghia booth at the Tomato Art Fest! The day was a terrific success, and we really appreciate your support!

Tomato Time!

Come visit ghia tomorrow at the East Nashville Tomato Art Fest! This is one of our favorite events of the year, with lots of fun activities including a parade and a dog costume contest!

We'll be on Woodland Street near 11th....that's the Five Points area of East Nashville. (For those of you mapquesting, try 1106 Woodland Street, 37206.)

Anyway, come check out our fabulous fair trade clothing and jewelry, plus local products from Thistle Farms and other artists! Hope to see you there!

Join us at CRAFT's Summer Extravaganza on June 28!

Join ghia at CRAFT's Summer Extravaganza! We're really excited about this event, especially getting to meet new people out in the community. Plus, there will be a cookout to benefit East Nashville Cooperative Ministry, a Second Harvest food box distribution point in East Nashville.

The fun takes place Saturday, June 28, from 10am to 5pm at Memorial Lutheran Church in East Nashville.

Saturday is World Fair Trade Day!

Saturday is World Fair Trade Day. How are you celebrating? One idea is to participate in the World's Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break. Check out TransFair's website to find fair trade certified coffee near you.

In honor of World Fair Trade Day, ghia is offering 10% off all orders. Use coupon code FAIRTRADE08 when you checkout.

Here at ghia we are excited to support fair trade companies like Avatar Imports and WorldFinds. Not only are we supporting undeveloped communities -- we're providing our customers with awesome products!

Springamajig!

ghia is proud to be partnering will Cool People Care this month for Springamajig.

What is Springamajig, you ask?

It's 40 days of events promoted, sponsored, or hosted by Cool People Care to get people out of their homes and into their communities.

To celebrate Springamajig, ghia and Cool People Care are making it easy to shop responsibly with 15% on the 15th. On April 15, for one day only, you can get 15% off any order at ghia or the Cool People Care Shoppe by using the coupon code SPRINGAMAJIG.

You don't have to spend a lot or travel far to find terrific products that fair trade, organic, or locally made. Set a reminder for April 15 to use these world-changing savings!

See Our New Products at the CRAFT Event!

Hi, friends!

ghia will be participating in CRAFT: A Creative Community tomorrow at the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville. Come see us, and you'll get a chance to see some of our new fair trade items from Avatar Imports before we add them to the website! You'll also get to see awesome creations from several Nashville-area artists.

Here are the details:
CRAFT
Sunday, April 6
11am to 5pm
Lipstick Lounge
14th and Woodland
Nashville, TN 37206

Reminder: Party Tomorrow!

If you are in the Nashville area, we would like to invite you to a ghia gift party to do your last minute shopping.

Day: Wednesday, December 19

Time: 3:30pm to 7:30pm

Location: A lovely home in Inglewood (East Nashville)
Located at the intersection of Stratford and Shelton, 37216


At our party you'll see beautiful fair trade products and locally made items that are perfect gifts -- or treats for yourself! Apparel, jewelry, accessories, cards, and other items, including some gift ideas for $10 or less!


If you need directions or more information, e-mail info@shopghia.com or call 615-243-0783.

Can't make it to the party? Remember you can shop any time at www.shopghia.com!

Last Minute Shopping with ghia!

If you're still looking for some great holiday gifts, you're in luck! ghia has three events in the next week to assist you with your last minute shopping!

--Friday, December 14
We'll be at Cummins Station in downtown Nashville from 11am to 4pm. Room 218B. There are several terrific vendors, so come check it out. Last week I got to sample some incredible fair trade chai -- don't miss it!

--Saturday, December 15
This is ghia's last Saturday at the Farmer's Market, although some artisans will be there through the 22nd. Join over 25 vendors for gifts, crafts, music, and holiday fun! 10am to 4pm.

NEW EVENT!
--ghia gift party!
We're having a holiday party! A dear friend has invited us to have an open house in East Nashville. Stop by from 3:30 to 7:30pm to find gift ideas from stocking stuffers to stylish purses and apparel. At the corner of Stratford and Shelton in Inglewood. Contact us for more information.

See you soon!

New Event! ghia at Cummins Station

ghia is participating in the holiday gift market at Cummins Station today. We'll be there from 11am to 4pm on November 30, December 7, and December 14. Suite 218A.

Don't forget, we'll also be at the Nashville Farmer's Market December 1, 8, and 15. Hope to see you soon!

Holiday Show 11/24 at the Nashville Farmers' Market

Tired of the mall? Shop with ghia at the Nashville Farmers' Market on Saturday, November 24.

You can see our selection of fair trade and local products and find terrific gifts for this holiday season. Recycled sari purses, beaded bracelets, and skin care from Thistle Farms are just a few of the items that will be available.

We'll be in Shed 2 with the artists of CRAFT - A Creative Community from 10am to 4pm. We'd love to see you there!

If you can't make it to the market, remember you can shop from home at www.shopghia.com.

ghia has gone to the dogs!

Thanks to the the SPCA of Tennessee for inviting us to their 'Pet Project" event this past Saturday.

We had a great day, sales-wise. Now that the weather is colder, armwarmers and scarves are very popular.

The event was a lot of fun for me personally. Between the live music and the adorable rescue dogs, I was pretty happy. I REALLY wanted to take one of the lab puppies home as a new friend for my dog, Cameron.

ghia in East Nashville this weekend!

Hey, ghia fans!

We've got two events in East Nashville this weekend, so check us out.

October 13
East Nashville Fall Festival
11am to 3pm
700 Russell St
Nashville, TN 37206

This should be a really fun event. Edgefield Baptist Church is sponsoring the community gathering. In addition to artisan and craft vendors, there will be music, games, and one of those bouncy thingies.


October 14
CRAFT @ The Lipstick Lounge
11am to 5pm
Woodland St. at 14th St.
Nashville, TN 37206

This is the monthly gathering of crafty folks behind the Lipstick Lounge. It's a great way to find unique, top quality jewelry, apparel, candles, and other items of awesomeness.

We'll have some new products at these events, including cold weather accessories like hats and arm warmers, plus organic cotton shopping totes!

Check out a complete listing of upcoming ghia events on our new Events page at www.shopghia.com.

A Great Weekend

Our events this past weekend were very successful. Thanks to everybody who stopped by our booth!

I enjoyed being at the Farmer's Market. I took a break from working in the afternoon and explored the produce shed -- amazing! I love the smell of fresh veggies.

Interestingly enough, there was a tent city set up outside the market. Apparently, the Tennessee State Parks sponsored a bike ride across the state, and the event happened to start on the Bicentennial Mall this past Saturday.


On Sunday we were at the CRAFT event in East Nashville. There usually are new vendors at each event, and I love checking out the new products. One vendor featured fair trade baby clothes that she had hand-dyed. Awesome!

Our most popular products this weekend were the fair trade accessories from World Finds, like the coin purses and hair pins. The headscarves are getting a lot of attention as colder weather approaches.

Take Two

Don't forget, you can see ghia products Saturday at the Nashville Farmer's Market from 10am to 4pm.

Also, the Lipstick Lounge CRAFT event has been rescheduled for this Sunday. The weather should be beautiful -- it's a great time to visit us!

Tomorrow's CRAFT Event Postponed to Next Sunday

Sunday's CRAFT event behind Lipstick Lounge has been canceled due to threat of rain. However, the event has been rescheduled to next Sunday, September 16, and ghia will be there!

We're sorry for any inconvenience this causes you. We hope to see you at the events next weekend, and remember -- you can shop anytime at www.shopghia.com!

ghia live!

If you are in the Middle Tennessee area, you have two forthcoming opportunities to check out our new products in person!

-On Sunday, September 9, we will be at the CRAFT - A Creative Community event behind the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville from 11am to 5pm.
Update: This event has been postponed to Sunday, September 16, due to threat of rain.

-On Saturday, September 15, we will be with CRAFT at the Nashville Farmer's Market from 10am to 4pm. This is a new event for us, and we are really excited about seeing everyone there! We will be indoors in the food court area.

Stop by and say hi!

Back from BarCamp

The ghia staff went to BarCamp Nashville today, a technology "un-conference" where we learned all sorts of spiffy things about new media and social networks.

I really look forward to integrating some of the things I learned into shopghia.com. While ghia is a commercial enterprise for me, I also look at it as an opportunity to educate people about fair trade products and have a dialogue about social responsibility and shopping.

We already have the ability for customers to submit reviews of products on the site, but I wonder what other ways we can invite the ethical shopping community to participate.

Tomato Re-Cap

We had a great time at the Tomato Art Fest last Saturday. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by the booth and helped make the day so successful!

One of the highlights of the day was seeing ghia fashions at the East Nashville fashion show.

Peace T-Shirt

SheGeek T-Shirt

Thank you to Trisha Brantley of Hip Zipper for organizing such an awesome event!

Visit ghia at the Tomato Art Fest and CRAFT this weekend!

If you're in the Nashville, Tennessee, area . . .

Come to East Nashville's Tomato Art Fest this Saturday and visit the ghia booth. We'll have tomato hats, tomato buttons, and some new purses and jewelry from fair trade company World Finds.

We'll be in the lot next to Art & Invention on Woodland Street from 10am to 6pm on Saturday.

For a list of the other awesome events and contests at the Tomato Art Fest, visit www.tomatoartfest.com. There's something for everyone -- free salsa dancing lessons, a parade, face painting -- check it out!


If you can't make it on Saturday, you can see the new ghia products on Sunday at CRAFT -- A Creative Community. We'll be behind Lipstick Lounge at Woodland and 14th from 11am to 5pm.

See you there!