BEANS FOR BOOKS

Beans, dinero, loot and the like--no matter how you say it, with every purchase made at Higher Grounds your money is going toward making the world more just and equitable. This year, possibly the perfect gift for the person "who has everything," is to purchase one of our Giving Tree ornaments. Each ornament comes labeled with a tag. Spend $25 dollars and pay for books for one of the new Ethiopian schools. Spend $50 and buy a desk for three students. There's a tag for every budget and no limitation to the kind of change it will incite for years and years to come. Stop in and choose from our tree or phone our store and we'll send one your way. (231)922.9009.

GREEN GIVING FROM HAITI

In Haiti, where metal is precious, oil barrels dumped there in the 1950's are salvaged and recycled. We've stumbled upon a collection of ornaments made of said barrels, pounded and molded into the shapes of birds and stars. With the days of Christmas waning, there is still a little time to pick a favorite ornament to add to your holiday tree or garnish a gift. Made of steel, they lack fragility and can be used from year to year and stored with ease. If "green giving" is a high priority this year, this company promises to leave "no carbon footprint," crafting each ornament by hammer and chisel in an electricity scare region, under the Haitian sun.

SOCIAL JUSTICE WITH FASHION SENSE

Fair trade and fabulous, our jewelry collection has expanded to include earrings hand made in Tibet. Gorgeous designs incorporate gemstones, bold and distinct. A little something flattering for a friend or perfect for when you present yourself as a gift. Start your new year in style--a taste of social justice with fashion sense.

NEW FAIR TRADE OFFERINGS

Hands down one of our favorite items this season: Wild Woolies felted wool birds. Perfect as ornaments, decoration or a child's education, the feathered friends currently adorn our sparkling Christmas tree. Customers are falling in love with them and you will see why. Soft and light, expertly designed, you will be impressed by the craftsmanship and tickled by their cuteness. Tie one on a present for a bird lover or gardener, add them to your family tree, or gift wrap one for a kind neighbor. Handmade in Nepal and fair trade certified, though made of felt, they're sweet enough to evoke a sweet song.

FAIR TRADE THE GIVING WAY

Besides coffee, there are brewings aplenty at Higher Grounds these days! The retail offerings now include a cornucopia of fair trade certified gift giving possibilities, including hand-made felted birds and puppets, gorgeous pearl and gemstone earrings crafted in the Himalayas, and Bolivian alpaca gloves, hats and scarves. Each items tells a little story, whether it is a pair of earrings crafted by orphaned children in Nicaragua so they can afford school or floral printed organic cloth aprons from One Mango Tree, a woman's sewing cooperative in Uganda.

If you happen to be shopping for someone who has everything or maybe your family and friends have a mission to give beyond your usual scope, Run Across Ethiopia (a project of On The Ground) is offering the perfect present. Laced to a tiny hand-made ornament from Mexico, hangs a little card that reads something like: $50: Buys a desk with seats for three children at the Addis Ababa School. The donations range from modest sums to much much larger, depending on the budget, but this is a gift that truly keeps on giving, and puts the words of the heart into deeds, reaching beyond the boundaries of our local community to encompass the globe--a small step toward truly creating peace on earth.

The coffee bar will continue to host locally crafted items, like hand-made leather journals, Lavender Breezes Latte Lip Balm and Michigan-made ceramic mugs bearing the sun-circle company logo--a great gift for the coffee lover that loves Higher Grounds!

Of course, you can purchase whole bean or ground organic fair trade coffee by the pound, Palestinian Olive Oil and Divine Drinking Cocoa if your looking for something to please the palate. Stop in today and check us out! Besides coffee, there are b

Higher Grounds video!

Check out this great Higher Grounds video montage made by James Weston of Westonfilm in Traverse City!