LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nestled inside Just Creations on Frankfort Avenue are pieces from around the world. 

“Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the middle east. The Tibetan singing bowls are just one of many,” says Just Creations executive director Joan Frisz.

Frisz is proud to sell items made by hand by people from over 45 countries. 

She’s traveled to a dozen countries. The goal of Just Creations, Frisz said, is to advocate for artisans in the developing world to foster fair trade opportunities while promoting fair pay and working conditions.

She’s met some artisans and farmers whose items are sold in the store. 

She loves to share the story of Laxmi, a female weaver from Nepal who earned her first income at age 40 thanks to fair trade partners. 

“It wasn’t that she had never earned an income before. It’s that she had never actually received the direct payment for her work because the men in her family had always gotten the payment for her work,” says Frisz. “Not only is she providing income for herself and other women in the community but now her husband works for her.”

The money the not-for-profit store makes is used to purchase more items from artisans, which allows sustainable job opportunities. 

“We’re not going in buying this one product today and then never going back and seeing these people again, so we’re working with long-term relationships,” says Frisz. 

Just Creations also educates the public about fair trade through outreach and community engagement programs.

The business also has youth educational programs, including its fair trade ambassadors program for high school juniors and the llama league for elementary students. 

Patrick Lynch leads those efforts. 

“Really understanding and doing the research and knowing what that dollar supports is important. You can support something that is detrimental or harmful to someone across the world or you can know that what you’ve purchased has uplifted someone and made their life better,” says Lynch. 

Each purchase made here is helping families from marginalized communities experience things some take for granted. 

“Sending their children to school and being able to feed their families and to thrive in their communities and not have to leave their county and send money back,” says Frisz. “To know that we can even be a small part of that it’s something that makes the work more meaningful.”