Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Teresa Baxter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Teresa, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
It’s funny that you would ask that question because I chose “resilience” to be my power word last year, in 2023.
Opening a brick and mortar fair trade store in 2019, right before the chaos of Covid, I have chosen a motivational word to each year since then to move me forward with an optimistic outlook. From “pivot” in 2020, to “stay relevant” in 2021, to “rise” in 2022, and then “resilience” last year, in 2024 my word will hopefully be “rewards”.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have been involved in many grassroots fair trade movements from coast to coast since 2006, including in cities as diverse as Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC.
It is my passion to promote ethical consumerism in the broadest sense possible. My background has been working with the nonprofit Ten Thousand Villages and for the international NGO, HandCrafting Justice, a project of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
I fell in love with Long Beach, CA in 2019 and coincidentally, when a previously branded socially conscious store became available, I jumped at the opportunity to gather all of my favorite fair trade brands as my business partners here.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge, in that order, are optimism, education, and empathy. I would and always do advise folks to care about the direction the world is heading towards. And also our power to make a difference through compassion and actions to make all lives better. I am of the belief that we were all born with the universal right of happiness, and when we all collectively stand up against injustices, happiness can come to fruition.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking to collaborate with anyone interested in my journey of community building in Long Beach and beyond.
Aside from our retail collective, I host many events in the store and at our shopping village. Our monthly Second Saturdays Block Party, at Parkview Village Shops, hosts 40+ local and fair trade vendors, DJ entertainment, family and art activities, a great food court and so much more. If there is anyone interested in taking part, come visit me at our Fair Trade Long Beach Retail Collective!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fairtradelongbeach.com
- Instagram: @fairtradelongbeach
- Facebook: @fairtradelongbeach
