This isn’t your typical Toms One-for-One campaign. Two Charlotte locals are giving back by giving in to their love for local business and conscious consumerism.
Conscious consumerism is all about making purchases with a purpose — to better the community, and even world, we live in.
Karlie Winchell and Kayte Foras started the Queen City Conscious Market, coming Feb. 7 to Heist Brewery, to “inspire those in our community to make an impact with their day-to-day purchases,” says Winchell, “and to entrust their money with businesses who care enough to invest it back to make a difference.”
The market will host a variety of local vendors that offer products that benefit the community long after they’re sold.
Foras is the owner of Let Love Shine Candles, which donates one dollar from each candle sold to fight human trafficking in Charlotte.
Other vendors include Headbands of Hope to fund childhood cancer research, Seagrape Photography to raise money for scholarships for struggling girls around the world, and The Crafted Pop, raising awareness and money for ALS, to name a few.
Some vendors focus on environmentally conscious products, like Bly Design, which strives to reduce material waste in producing their jewelry, and Great Life Soap and Body Elements that uses organic and sustainable ingredients in their soaps.
Winchell says their goal over the next few years is to host the market quarterly, giving the community the chance to regularly shop throughout the year.
However, Winchell’s ultimate dream is to open a boutique in Charlotte that carries these conscious goods year round.
“Supporting local businesses means empowering your neighbors to start something bigger than themselves, to fuel those who have the passion to build their community and express themselves through whatever it is that their business stands by,” Winchell says.