1. At Home with 2nd Story Goods It's hard to believe we've been living the majority of our lives from home for an entire year! Since we’ve been in the comfort of our own homes a lot more than usual this year, we’ve made an effort to make our spaces more beautiful, comfortable, and functional. The following list is just a few of our favorite products that have sparked joy in our lives while stuck at home this past year. 1. If you're working on livening up your space this spring, make sure to grab one of our Braid...
  2. Good Habits Trying to practice some better habits in 2021? Yeah, us too! There is much we cannot control in the world, but taking care of ourselves amidst it all is something we can control. Check out our recommendations for some good habits we're trying to establish this year and 2nd Story Goods products to go with them! Bike Basket. Good habit: encourages moving our bodies. Helps us carry all the things as we do so! Natural Horn Comb. Good habit: horn combs have amazing benefits like helping co...
  3. Spring Break Guide | 2nd Story Goods If you’re planning to travel for Spring Break this year, we have a few items that you may want to take with you! If you’re not ready to venture out just yet, stay tuned for our 'At Home Spring Break Guide' coming soon! 1. Our Bike Basket is absolutely perfect for trips to the beach, shops, or farmer’s market. Our spacious baskets are handmade with palm leaves that are local to Haiti and are so adorable on any bike! 2. For an amazing carry-on or beach bag, look no further than our Burl...
  4. Spring Fashion Favorites 1. This spring, we're ready to dress up our Dog Tag Bracelets and Aluminum Circle Earrings! For your first date night or girls night out in WAY too long, we love pairing our recycled aluminum pieces with a silky, printed dress. You can always dress it down with sneakers and a denim jacket too! The bead in the earrings is the perfect pop of color, while the bracelet is a great staple to layer with bangles, a watch, or a couple of our stackable bracelets! 2. For a cute and casual look, we...
  5. How to Style: Spring Patchwork Did you know that patchwork is trending this spring? If you've been considering shopping patchwork this season, this is your sign that now is your time and we are your people to buy from! Not only is it on trend, but it's also one of our favorite ways to reduce waste! This is why we created our MOSO Collection - to create a "2nd story" out of the huge amounts of clothing that are shipped to Haiti each month for a more sustainable future. Keep reading to find out which MOSO pie...
  6. Holiday Gift Guide Take holiday shopping virtual this year! Here's a catalog of our top picks for your loved ones this holiday season! Click below to shop the guide🎄🎁
  7. 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...
  8. "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...
  9. 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...
  10. 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...
  11. i see you, Jesus I love watching you sitting in the dirt with the little boys making cars out of oil cans…they fished them from the garbage dump, of course they did . and you sat there having the time of your life watching them workplay. Watching them look to your face for you approval…watching to see your eyes light up at what they made. I love that look on your face Jesus…. I love how you love. I love a God that loves to sit in the dirt with the small men…the ones who are surely hungry and surely dirty ...
  12. Made by: Anite I drive down to Jubilee early this morning to work.The well is open and there are many children and adults crowded around and carrying precious clean water back to their homes.As I approach the house of Anite, I see two young girls coming with water. One has a 5 gallon bucket on her head…about 3/ 4 full. the other is younger, smaller and carries a 1 gallon container, not quite full, on her head. I am amazed, as I always am, at the carrying of water. Why is it such a common thing among most of...
  13. 3 tips to working in a country that isn't natively your own. 2nd Story Goods director and founder, MK has been living on the ground in Gonaives for almost 8 years. She's built a socially and ethically conscious company (In a country that isn't her own) by staying humble, laughing at mistakes, embracing the growing pains, and deep persistence. Although she is a lifetime learner, here are 3 tips she's picked up along the way. 1) If you aren’t fluent in the language, don’t assume you know what people are saying. I have made some pretty embarra...
  14. the hand-braided rug story Held hostage. By the women in my yard. Two mommas from Jubilee. So, they show up with large black bags ... bulging black bags. And they begin to pull from these bags some gorgeous colorful mats...hand woven lovely pieces, almost perfect...but not quite. And the problem is , in the room behind me i have approximately 70 similar pieces...not exactly placemats , maybe bath mats...but until they are altered...we can't quite use them,..nor will we be able to sell them. So as clearly and tender...
  15. The Origin of 2nd Story Goods During my initial visit to Haiti, in 2004, i was changed by a specific situation that happened our first day in Port Au Prince. We were with a local missionary in her car when we were approached by a young mother holding a 10-11 month old baby. The woman spoke at length with Sherrie, our friend. and as we discovered afterwards, she was begging us to take her child.. Powerless to feed her, and with two more young ones at home, she was willing to give her away. I was stunned. Sherrie quickly ...
  16. JULY 4, 2011   HAITI – HUMAN TRAFFICKING REPORT COUNTRY REPORT – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE HAITI (Special Case) The massive physical destruction in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, including the destruction of governmental buildings, equipment, and loss of personnel, and the continued lack of fundamental infrastructure throughout the government, severely limited the government’s ability to function in many areas, including in areas of law enforcement, social services and border control. This had a similarly ...