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Last time, we spoke with Samantha Morshed of Pebble about how she began her work in fair trade and the women she works with in Bangladesh. Now we turn our attention to Pebble's design process, how fair trade affects all of us, and Ms. Morshed's thoughts on the future:  Q:...

Continuing our emphasis on fair trade makers, our Featured Maker this month is Samantha Morshed, OBE, of Hathay Bunano, now called Pebble. Having worked in fair trade for over a decade, she began working out of her spare room with 12 women, and grew her non-profit to great honors and...

Quinstance has a number of anniversary dates: we were incorporated in September 2014; the company started to coalesce around the idea of American-made and fair trade goods in November 2014; we signed a lease and began construction January 2015; and we opened our doors June 15, 2015.  So we haven't...

A note from Erin: Our first six Featured Makers were all American artisans. For our next six Featured Makers, we’ve decided introduce you to some of our fair trade partners. One thing we hope you’ll see from these interviews is how connected we all are. Our fair trade makers all...

For the rest of December and into January, our Featured Maker is Lisa Ramirez of A Flower for Rose! Lisa makes modern, beautiful hair accessories based on a Japanese folding art. Lisa has long been on of our most local makers and our most enthusiastic supporters and we're thrilled to finally...

At Quinstance, we’re used to answering a lot of questions: about the store, about 3rd Avenue, about the individual products and makers, and about the materials in each products. Sating people’s curiosity is second nature to us here. But one question in particular stands out, in part because it tends...

In the first part of our interview with Gerald Croteau III of American Stonecraft, we learned about Gerald's history with stones and how American Stonecraft turns stones into a crop. We resume our conversation with Gerald's current work with stone walls and the future of American Stonecraft:  Q: I understand...

One of the best parts about Quinstance is our mission to keep things fresh and vibrant in the store. We’re constantly looking for new products to carry, searching for items that could become someone’s quinstance. We’re devoted to the idea that customers should forge a connection with what they buy....

In the first part of the interview, we were talking to Maggie Bokor of Maggie Bokor Jewelry about the inspirations behind her creations. In the second part of this interview, we discuss her interactions with her customers, her materials, and the natural world. Q: What is your creation process like?...