We are offering $5 delivery on two dates leading up until Christmas for the areas of Haldimand (Caledonia, Cayuga, Hagersville, Dunnville and Jarvis) and Hamilton (Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Waterdown, Ancaster, Burlington, Dundas, Binbrook).
- orders received by Tues, Dec.19 (noon) will be delivered on Wednesday Dec. 20
-orders received by Thurs, Dec. 21 (noon) will be delivered on Friday Dec. 22
And remember, we can even include a note from you and put it in a bag and deliver it right to the recipient for you!
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But I had to remind myself… if I am committed to shopping ethically, shouldn’t that be all year long? Even in the holidays.
I recognize that shopping ethical may not be the easiest or cheapest. But it is the option that fits my values best.
And so, I take the lists and look at what I can make myself. Thrift. Buy from an ethical brand. It may take more time, but that’s okay because gift giving at it’s core is about showing love. Not just grabbing the most convenient thing at the cheapest price. What does doing that even communicate?
Instead, I choose to show love to the recipient by:
-giving them the gift of my time in creating, thrifting or researching ethical brands
-creating impact for generations that will be beneficial (not harmful) for the makers, their families and also our planet
-selecting gorgeous handcrafted gifts they’ll love that I can feel great about giving
This is world changing fashion.
]]>Dec. 10 - regular mail USA
Dec. 12 - expedited USA
Dec. 14 - regualar mail Canada
Dec. 17 - expedited Canada
Dec. 17 - redular mail Ontario
Dec. 19 - expedited Ontario
Dec. 22 - local pickup Caledonia
Please note these are simply recommendations based off of teh shipping company's websites - but we always encourage you to shop "now". The earlier the better "just in case"! (We will continue to ship after these dates, but can't guarantee they'll arrive in time.)
]]>Yes, raising them.
All regular priced items are raised by $2 from Black Friday through Giving Tuesday (Nov. 24-28). The extra funds will be contributed to a care fund for our artisan partners. Over the last 11 years of partnering together, we have seen emergencies come up that the artisans have struggled to cover costs. The Artisan Care Fund will help in these circumstances.
Currently top of our list of needs is a surgery desperately needed for an artisans young son.
Now, let's be honest. We love a good deal. We really do. But we love people more. So many artisans and small businesses already struggle to make ends meet. Especially now. Instead of taking funds away from the people who need them most - we are contributing to their needs.
The impact will last far longer than a deep discount.
“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy” (Emma Watson)
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But this has been a tough season for many of our artisan partners. Pandemic lockdowns were particularly strict in Kenya and Uganda and have had lasting economic repercussions on their communities. There has been health concerns. And a recession here and slower sales, means less orders and income for them there. But as we all know, the bills keep coming even when money doesn't. When we talk, I hear about needs - and the request is always the same. More work. More orders.
And I love that.
Not looking for handouts. But wanting and willing to work hard to reach their own goals for themselves. Their families. Their community.
This is my motivation. I know that the more I work here to create orders and make sales - that families get fed. Children go to school. Homes are safe and secure. Because artisans are able to work and earn fair wages to meet their own needs.
And by partnering together, means I literally have a part in these stories - and I need to work hard and do my fair share so we can celebrate their successes. See their children grow up healthy, educated and safe.
I keep in my office photos of different artisans from over the years. These people - this is my motivation. And I know that working together - with each of us doing our part in this decade long partnership - we can do it.
So I say to my daunting Monday To Do list - I'm coming for you.
]]>The comments on the reel are so encouraging - cheering Lillian on and letting her know how proud they are of her hard work. I had to share these with her.
And so, I contacted Lillian and told her how people loved her story. I read her the comments. She was overwhelmed - you can watch her reaction in this reel shown below. And I love, that Lillian's reaction is for more work. Not handouts - but job creation. Lillian makes many things - but her main project is our stretch bead bracelets - or as she calls them "bling bling". And so, we would love to sell out of these bracelets so we can order more. And more. And more.... creating steady work for Lillian and her family.
When we met Lillian over a decade ago - she asked, "I can make things, but who can I sell it to?" Together, we have created a marketplace for creations by herself and so many other talented artisans. Which creates dignified income opportunities. A hand up rather than a hand out. This is world changing fashion.
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We have been following the state of the LGBTQ in Uganda for years but this week (as we go into pride month!) Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws. In some cases, these laws even include the death penalty. (You can read more about the new laws in this CBC article here.) We had to do something… even if it was small.
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I blinked - and we're a week into December. How did this happen?
And so, we all naturally begin to worry "will my online order be here in time?" We have compiled a list of dates to ease your mind!
REGULAR MAIL (no tracking)
-Friday December 9 for Canada/US
COURIER
-Thursday December 15 for National (Canada) or US.
By "National" we refer to out of province but within Canada (example, we ship from Ontario - but you live in BC)
LOCAL PICK-UP
Local Pick ups are available 9am-9pm each day. Please order by December 22 to give us time to pick and pack your order and have it ready for pick up!
GIFT CARDS
Order online and email right to your recipient! A great last minute gift!
]]>I don't know about you - but I love a good deal. I really do.
But I aim to love people more.
In these tough times, so many artisans and small businesses already struggle to make ends meet. Especially now with a recession and coming out of lockdowns and struggles from the global pandemic.
Instead of taking funds away from the people who need them most - we want to be contributing to their needs.
And so, since 2014 we have treated Black Friday a little bit differently. In a way that reflects our values. We RAISE our prices by $2 from Black Friday to Giving Tuesday and donate that money to needs of our artisan partners.
This year the tradition continues. We debated changing it as we are in the process of closing our physical store (this weekend!) and so many items are being cleared out as we prepare for the move back to online only. But we always want to find ways to value people over profits. And so.. November 25 (Black Friday) to November 29 (Giving Tuesday) all of our regular priced JustOne items are now 42 more. At the end of the time, prices will reset - and we will be contributing our extra funds to an artisan care fund.
The artisan care fund is a separate bank account we have created for our artisan partners for when emergencies arise. We have helped with medical needs, funeral costs, and daily needs when finances are tight. This is a fund so that when something comes up - we are ready!
This is JustOne way we strive to live our values!
]]>But what if you could give a gift, that was more than a gift? A gift that gave not only to the recipient, but also to the maker. To their family. Their community. And beyond.
When you shop with purpose from businesses like JustOne - your gift is far more than what is inside the wrapping. Through your purchases at JustOne, artisans have been able to send their children to school, buy land, build homes, purchase livestock and break poverty cycles.
This holiday - we encourage you to shop thoughtfully and give gifts that are more than just a gift!
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In 2009, we bought our dream home. We *knew* this was our forever home and we fell head over heels in love. It was magical. My kids toboganned in our backyard, roamed the fields, played in our barn and climbed trees.
But… we soon realized it wasn’t really a fit for our family after all. It was so expensive to heat. We added a wood-fired boiler which helped with cost - but soon we found our time was consumed with chopping wood, stacking wood,loading wood…. It was a drive to even get to a convenience store - and the inconvenience grew. I could go on. It didn’t take long for us to realize, our dreams were bigger than a house.
Did we love the house? Absolutely. Wholeheartedly. Did we love spending all our time and money on a house? No way! And so, we made the tough choice to sell our home.
We often will ask each other - do you wish we had stayed in the country? And we agree, we loved the home and our time there - but it wasn’t right for our family’s needs. Do we regret buying it in the first place? Not at all. If we hadn’t, that dream would still be there. We’d still be wondering if we should move to the country. Circling farms in the real estate section of the paper. And giving a big piece of ourselves to this possibility. We needed to live it - to be able to move on from it.
The same is true today for me with JustOne.
Since I was a teen, I’ve dreamed of owning a store. I decorated my shop in my mind a million times. I imagined what I would call it, where it would be and how I would run things.
Thirty years later, my dream came true. We opened a shop as a pop up for one month in November 2019. That one month lasted three years - including many rounds of closures during the Covid pandemic.
And now I’m taking a step back and realizing, I have bigger dreams than a store. Do I love this space? Absolutely. Wholeheartedly. But my time and resources are going to keeping a store running and all the vendors we now partner with… and my main focus of working with our artisan partners gets my leftover time and funds.
And so, just like we did with our farmhouse, we made the tough choice to close the door on something we love - to open ourselves to our full purpose.
What does this mean?
November 30, 2022 - our one month pop up (that lasted three years + one month) will close. Our sweet store will close it’s doors.
Is JustOne closing?
No! Not in the least.
We’re going back to our roots. As of December 1, 2022 we will focus only on our artisan partners directly in Kenya and Uganda. We will be doing so with online sales, events, and wholesale (selling to other stores and organizations). We are also available for your fundraising campaigns.
By making a hard decision to close the door of something we love, we are able to have more to give to our mission. To the heart of JustOne.
What does this mean for you? Here are some FAQ’s from the conversations I’ve had so far!
FAQ
Will you still be on instagram/tiktok/facebook?
Yes! We will still be just as present on social media! Make sure to follow along at @shopjustone on your favourite platform. (at the current time our FB is disabled as we were hacked, but hope to be back up soon!)
If I’m local can I still shop with you?
Yes! In December, we will be offering free delivery - stay tuned to see when we’ll be in your area delivering! And pickup will also be available in the Caledonia area from our home office. And make sure to watch our social media to see when we’re doing events and pop ups!
Is everything going to be priced to clear?
Not exactly. As we prepare to close, we will be clearing some items - but it is not a situation where we need to sell off everything. JustOne products will be staying with us in our new home office location. Some items are on consignment from vendors, and will be returned to them. But yes, there will be some great deals on many items as we get closer to the end of November! (Great time to purchase Christmas gifts!)
You mention “JustOne items” - what does this include?
JustOne items are the items made by the artisans we partner directly with in Kenya and Uganda. This includes our jewelry, dolls, wall baskets and wood bowls and spoons to name a few. You can see items specific to JustOne here: https://www.shopjustone.com/collections/justone
What are other ways we can be involved?
There are so many ways! Contact us about having us at your next event. Have me come and speak at your conference, school or church group. Host a party with your friends. Shop online! Ask your favourite local stores to carry JustOne items. Tell a friend. Stay connected on social media.
Will you miss the store?
Yes and no. I loved our space. I adored our small staff. I loved being a part of the Caledonia downtown community. Being a safe space for people who needed a spot to come in and sit, to talk or get a drink. I loved connecting face to face with so many of you. I loved supporting small businesses. But I will not miss having to miss family events and social commitments because I have to work in the store. I really will not miss paying rent, utilities, and more. I won’t miss coming home exhausted from working in the store all day - to go home and still work as I did not get a chance to do my computer work. I look forward to having more time and resources for both my artisan partners and our mission to them (and also for my personal life!)
Are you cutting back what JustOne does?
Not in the least! We’re simply pruning some areas, so the main areas can flourish! JustOne ran for 7 years out of my home, and we’re looking forward to moving back.
When is your last day open?
I am still finalizing plans but at this time, Nov. 26-27 weekend will likely be our last days open. Giving us a couple days to clean and move out. But remember - we’re still open online even at this time! Please stay tuned on social media as we announce plans moving forward!
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We have loved having our little shop for the last three years and it would not have been possible without your support. No one can deny that it is a tough season for small businesses. And without you, we would not have made it. We’ve enjoyed in-store popups, book launches, and so many special memories. We’ve loved meeting so many of you and having incredible conversations. We have used our window displays to make statements about our values - and have appreciated the discussions this has generated. But it has also been tough. Almost every small business owner I’ve spoken to has said the same thing - 2022 has been the hardest year yet. Tougher than the years of lockdowns during the pandemic. We’ve seen so many businesses - and specifically many ethical businesses - close their businesses permanently this year. We are grateful to not be closing, but to be able to pivot our business so we can thrive for years to come! As we move forward, we will need your support more than ever. Any and every success JustOne has had - is only because of you. The purchases you make, the referrals to our business, the likes, shares and comments, the invites to your events… is making a difference. You’ve been a part of building homes in Kenya, sending children to school in Uganda, in breaking poverty cycles, and so much more.
Thank you for being a part of JustOne. Thank you for your support, encouragement and generosity. Thank you for following our dreams as they shift and grow. Thank you.
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