1. Why Is This So Hard? Sometimes I find myself asking, “why the heck is this SO HARD?!” And then I remember, this thing we’re doing, this little company we’re building, it’s literally one of the hardest things we could possibly choose to do. A phrase that I try to remember when I’m being challenged is simple “We can do hard things.” You can do hard things. What are some hard things you’ve done in your life that you’re so proud that you did, or even if you failed, that you tried? According to the World Bank, out of ...
  2. Making the Pastiche Journal Here at 2nd Story Goods we are big believers that knowing the story behind every person, product, and idea helps us to appreciate God’s creation even more! Sharing the stories behind our beautiful goods is so important to us because the people making the beautiful goods are so important to us. We value celebrating our artisans for their creativity and gifts— we know you do too! ☺️ We have redesigned our classic Pastiche Leather Journal! 😍 Use it to process, dream, draw, pray, stay organized...
  3. Behind the Leather Tassel Key Chain Here at 2nd Story Goods we put a huge emphasis on the story behind things: people, places, and (you guessed it) products! Today we have the honor of sharing the story behind the Leather Tassel Key Chain. This beautiful good is such a perfect representation of what 2SG is all about! This product was born out of a desire to be good stewards of our resources. The key chain is made almost completely out of scraps of leather from our other leather goods. The key chain is perfect to complete som...
  4. some of our favorite words "Good words are worth much, and cost little."—George Herbert any of these words speak to you or remind you of someone you love? grab a magnet stamped with them here! Learn love “What are you man, if you do not learn love?” -Shawn McDonald Learning love. Isn’t that what we’re all doing here? We’re teaching each other and learning together about what love is, what it looks like lived out, how it feels, and the healing power it holds. We have some days where we surprise ourselves w...
  5. 8 Ways to Use Your 2SG Journal Here 8 things you can do with a 2nd Story Goods journal during quarantine We are all finding ourselves in a really unique position these days, and we belief that it can be really healing to process things with pen and paper. Do you have a 2nd Story Goods Journal lying around your home? Here are some ways that we have been filling our empty pages. Quarantine log: These are unprecedented times! They should be recorded. Every week or so, write down how you feel, what’s happening ...
  6. Why Haiti? I’ve recently been asked, Why Haiti. Of all the places in the world, why Haiti? My answer, after some pause was, it is what we saw. I admit that my first trip to visit this Caribbean country took me by surprise. Of course i didn’t go to the gorgeous beaches or climb the lush mountain trails or swim in the cool clear rivers. I experienced that much later. I didn’t visit the homes of the middle or upper class or even visit any of the booming cultural centers and successful businesses. I...
  7. the sewer She works with such intensity. I watch her face as she sews. There is a heavy calm there. as if she has mastered the art of carrying the weight of her world on her tiny shoulders. i met her when Grace and Keziah brought her to the workshop. " hey mama k. please meet this wonderful mom, might you have work for her? " In her arms she carried her 5 year old son, born with severe hydrocephalic symptoms. Beautiful eyes set in a very large head. I took him from her arms, stunned by his...
  8. Unstoppable Mothers Mother’s Day in Haiti Today is Mother's day for our sweet moms in Haiti. In celebration of this very special day, we have a message from MK that speaks to the resilience of the mothers in Haiti. 2nd Story Goods exists to support women like this, and we are so very happy to share their stories with you! 2019 was a tough year for our city of Gonaives, roads blocked going out of the city. Gas stations out of fuel. Burning tires and rare electricity made it some of the most difficult days. ...
  9. Father’s Day: Providers, the Personal Power and Responsibility Fisherman Years ago we spent days in the fishing village near Aux Cayes, on the southern coast of Haiti. We hiked along the mountain’s edge and looked out over the bay. We followed a trail down to where the fishermen kept their brightly painted wooden boats, huge oars propped inside. We stopped and chatted with one gentleman who was mending his net in the morning sun. We had lots of questions about the life of fishing in this area of the country. And he was generous with his sharing. It ...
  10. The Importance of Hope Over the next few weeks we want to share some words on Hope. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become easy to lose hope and struggle to see how things will get better. We, as an organization operating in a developing country, have seen our fair share of hard times. Here, at 2nd Story Goods, we have learned to lean into our community during difficulties to share hope with one another. Today, we have MK’s take on the true value of hope: The importance of HOPE. I dare say Hope...
  11. the rosette story Something about being with the deaf. It’s like entering another country ... again. First of all, the class is full of students, all ages 12 year old boys to 20 year old men and 15 year old girls. Everyone is engaged in figuring out the best way to make the pieces we are working on , most folks are talking , some shouting … and yet... it is silent in the room… (except for a few outburst of laughter and beating on the desk to get the white lady’s attention.) Eeerie, but I kind of like it. ...
  12. so I was thinking about a tattoo DON'T FREAK OUT. A, “Learn Love”, tattoo, but I can’t decide where to put it… This phrase comes from lyrics by Shawn McDonald, “What are you man, if you do not learn love?”. And I though I’ve known it for years, lately it’s been stuck in my head. Because the truth is, no matter how hard we work or how many jobs we create or how successful 2nd Story Goods becomes…it matters not, if we don’t learn love. At the end of the day, Love is the matter that shifts things. Not jobs, not food, ...
  13. Let's give it up for the middleman. The middleman always gets a bad rep, but let’s face it, without the person in the middle it would be extremely costly and take a LOT of time to fly around the world and hop on buses, trains, motorcycles, donkeys, tap taps... to find the amazing stuff we all love to find in our local shops. Middlemen serve the world in 2 ways: The emerging artist is blessed to sell to a broader market The local customer is blessed to get a beautiful thing they themselves did not have to spend thousands of...
  14. "6 steps to a rad day💪🏽" by MK "Describe your daily routines and why you do them." The title of this article scares me! I think of routines as disciplines, and I am so not that person! With this, I am going to write honestly, and not sound like the expert I am not. I get out of bed early. In my DNA I am wired for greater productivity in the early hours of the morning. My mind is clear and I have fresh energy. So without trying I wake up ridiculously early. It has been pretty annoying my entire life. I am in aw...
  15. the pendant story We visited a man that makes aluminum cooking pots for his living. He has a small thatch hut on the very outskirt of the village Jubilee. His domain is easily identifiable by the black soot that surrounds the ground where he works. We find this sinewy man, (though he appears ancient., in truth I am most likely his senior by at least ten years, maybe I also appear ancient? ) He is stoking the fire that burns hot. He uncovers the chamber holding the melting cans and stirs to see if the liquid is...
  16. Not Wasted I can sometimes hear these "moso" (“pieces” in Haitian Creole) fabric bits chatting it up when they find themselves as a finished product. Sharing their stories as to how they arrived here. In this sewing room. In this city and in this country. Laughing about the situations they found themselves in along the way. The great parties they went to. The little girls who loved them so much. And how they all collide here on this gorgeous blanket, bag, pillow, or new piece of clothing. I h...