Tagua’s Mission
–For nine years Tagua Fair Trade has been working to introduce conscientious Fresno shoppers to a new way of deciding where to spend their dollar. Fair Trade is an approach to retail that considers beauty and aesthetic value as well as the impact of a purchase on the global environment and the well-being of the people who make the goods we buy.
Tagua Fair Trade began in 2013 with a mission to provide a market for the beautiful creations of global artisans. Tagua’s partnership with women and other marginalized artisans empower these industrious and creative people to provide for themselves and their families while creating connections with shoppers who want to make a difference.
Tagua combines a retail business with a community benefit (i.e. non-profit) organization. As a retailer, Tagua buys goods from fair trade wholesalers who source from artisans and farmers in economically disadvantaged countries and regions of the world. From Armenia to Ghana to Ecuador, we are now able to buy products from over 40 different countries. Tagua sells these goods at retail rates that allows it to be a self-sustaining business. As a community benefit organization, profits from the business do not go to an owner or partnership. Instead, they are channeled back into the mission of partnering with artisans in impoverished areas of the world as they lift themselves out of poverty and educating consumers about the benefits of making purchases of fair trade goods whenever possible.
Tagua Fair Trade began in 2013 with a mission to provide a market for the beautiful creations of global artisans. Tagua’s partnership with women and other marginalized artisans empower these industrious and creative people to provide for themselves and their families while creating connections with shoppers who want to make a difference.
Tagua combines a retail business with a community benefit (i.e. non-profit) organization. As a retailer, Tagua buys goods from fair trade wholesalers who source from artisans and farmers in economically disadvantaged countries and regions of the world. From Armenia to Ghana to Ecuador, we are now able to buy products from over 40 different countries. Tagua sells these goods at retail rates that allows it to be a self-sustaining business. As a community benefit organization, profits from the business do not go to an owner or partnership. Instead, they are channeled back into the mission of partnering with artisans in impoverished areas of the world as they lift themselves out of poverty and educating consumers about the benefits of making purchases of fair trade goods whenever possible.
For more than four years, Tagua’s operations were run entirely by volunteers. With donations from board members and other supporters, Tagua purchased a utility trailer and pop-up tent to create a mobile store. Every week the Tagua team of volunteers set up their “shop” with fair trade jewelry, accessories and home décor goods at Vineyard Farmer’s Market and the Old Town Clovis Farmer’s Market as well as artisan and craft faires and church events.
The Tagua team’s “sweat equity” built the business’s savings so that in 2017 they were ready to move toward a brick and mortar location. Connections made at Vineyard Farmer’s Market confirmed by demographic research showed the Old Fig Garden area of Fresno to be the ideal location for the store’s target market. Networking connections proved successful when in November, 2017, Fig Garden Village offered the volunteers a 1,300 square foot vacant store front for a nominal rate for a holiday pop-up.
What was initially a December 2017 pop-up extended month-by-month until June 2018 when Fig Garden had a permanent tenant for the space. Management invited Tagua to look at a larger vacant store front and in summer of 2018 Tagua moved to a second location, a 2,300 square foot space, again with a “pop-up” (aka business development) lease agreement that could be terminated by Fig Garden with 30 days notice. Tagua hired a part-time manager for the store but continued with volunteers for the majority of the store’s staffing. Inventory expanded with larger selections of jewelry, accessories, and home and garden décor. A small selection of apparel and a few items of furnishings were also added.
This second pop-up lasted a little more than a year, and in fall of 2019 Tagua moved to their third space at Fig Garden. This space was even larger at about 3,400 square feet and allowed for further expansion of the apparel department. Additional part-time staff was added and a full-time manager was hired in fall 2020. In this third location with excellent visibility and extensive window display opportunities, Tagua continued to grow and thrive, benefitting from Fig Garden’s quality clientele and abundant foot traffic.
Moving On
After 3 years in this third Fig Garden location Tagua received its 30-days-to-vacate notice at the end of November 2022. Having developed a loyal following of fair trade shoppers, Tagua is ready to move into a more stable long-term lease, rather than continuing with Fig Garden in a fourth location under a business development lease. A significant social media following and email marketing mailing list will assist in bringing Tagua’s shoppers back when the store finds it’s next home and is up and running once again.