The handmade items for sale inside of Kingdom Ventures are colorful, vibrant, cheery.
Their beauty belies their story.
The goods, like scarves, jewelry and handbags, were made by individuals, mainly women, from places like India and Thailand, people who have struggled, some mightily, to make a living and live freely. Indeed, some have been victims of sex trafficking.
But their beautiful goods, which are imported and sold by Rebecca and Glenn Fadner through their business, Kingdom Ventures, are helping them build better lives.
The couple knew they wanted to do something after retirement – she from school administration, he from IBM. On a trip to Cambodia, the couple met a man who works with women rescued from sex trafficking. Already active in their congregation, New Hope Community Church in Chili, the Fadners decided to create a venture with a holistic approach to helping people: importing goods, teaching business skills, and ultimately, providing a path to economic sustainability. Glenn Fadner said the business, launched in 2005, has combined the couple's love of travel and desire to help others.
"We want to be able to say at the end that we have lived with as few regrets as possible and have met as many people as possible along the way," Rebecca Fadner said.
The Ogden couple import fair-trade products from artisans in Cambodia, Kenya, Thailand, Nicaragua and Honduras, selling them online, through eBay, and at markets and fairs throughout the community. Kingdom Ventures is also a wholesale distributor for the goods to stores across the country. For the last couple of years, the Fadners have sold their goods at storefronts in the Rochester area. This year's store is located in Erie Canal Commons, 2542 Ridgeway Avenue at the corner of Long Pond Road, on the Gates/Greece border.
Rebecca Fadner calls herself and her husband "people investors." By selling a basket in Rochester, its creator in Thailand earns an income. That artisan can better care for her family, maybe even build a house, which supports the builder and his family. The ripple effect is endless, Fadner said.
The impact really hit her on a trip to Thailand, when they met with workers who had proudly built a weaving center, complete with a concrete floor. Yet the floor was being undercut by rain because the building had no gutters. They couldn't afford them, Glenn Fadner said.
When he asked how much money they needed, he was told the gutters were "very expensive." But he and his wife decided to invest in the center and purchase the gutters, which cost $250. Within a month, the work was complete, and the weavers sent the couple photographs of their revamped building. Earlier this year, the couple returned to the center. As Rebecca Fadner was leading a business meeting with the weavers, she was interrupted by a woman whom she had never met.
The handmade items for sale inside of Kingdom Ventures are colorful, vibrant, cheery.
Their beauty belies their story.
The goods, like scarves, jewelry and handbags, were made by individuals, mainly women, from places like India and Thailand, people who have struggled, some mightily, to make a living and live freely. Indeed, some have been victims of sex trafficking.
But their beautiful goods, which are imported and sold by Rebecca and Glenn Fadner through their business, Kingdom Ventures, are helping them build better lives.
The couple knew they wanted to do something after retirement – she from school administration, he from IBM. On a trip to Cambodia, the couple met a man who works with women rescued from sex trafficking. Already active in their congregation, New Hope Community Church in Chili, the Fadners decided to create a venture with a holistic approach to helping people: importing goods, teaching business skills, and ultimately, providing a path to economic sustainability. Glenn Fadner said the business, launched in 2005, has combined the couple's love of travel and desire to help others.
"We want to be able to say at the end that we have lived with as few regrets as possible and have met as many people as possible along the way," Rebecca Fadner said.
The Ogden couple import fair-trade products from artisans in Cambodia, Kenya, Thailand, Nicaragua and Honduras, selling them online, through eBay, and at markets and fairs throughout the community. Kingdom Ventures is also a wholesale distributor for the goods to stores across the country. For the last couple of years, the Fadners have sold their goods at storefronts in the Rochester area. This year's store is located in Erie Canal Commons, 2542 Ridgeway Avenue at the corner of Long Pond Road, on the Gates/Greece border.
Rebecca Fadner calls herself and her husband "people investors." By selling a basket in Rochester, its creator in Thailand earns an income. That artisan can better care for her family, maybe even build a house, which supports the builder and his family. The ripple effect is endless, Fadner said.
The impact really hit her on a trip to Thailand, when they met with workers who had proudly built a weaving center, complete with a concrete floor. Yet the floor was being undercut by rain because the building had no gutters. They couldn't afford them, Glenn Fadner said.
When he asked how much money they needed, he was told the gutters were "very expensive." But he and his wife decided to invest in the center and purchase the gutters, which cost $250. Within a month, the work was complete, and the weavers sent the couple photographs of their revamped building. Earlier this year, the couple returned to the center. As Rebecca Fadner was leading a business meeting with the weavers, she was interrupted by a woman whom she had never met.
"She says, 'You are the gutter lady,'" Rebecca Fadner recalled. "To us, it's just gutters, but to them it was a part of their whole business so much that it was an essential part of their business."
Visiting the artisans regularly helps the couple better tell the stories behind the products, and the people who make them. It also reminds them of how flat the world really is, Rebecca Fadner said.
"We do live in a global community," she said. "I get my mail in Ogden but my heart lives everywhere."
The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sundays beginning Nov. 25. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. In addition to goods for sale, Kingdom Ventures will also feature guest speakers as part of their Super Saturdays event. For more information, visit www.kingdom-ventures.com.
