12/12/06

Greatest Eco-Furniture in Town

by edward_t

I dropped into this place by accident, but man was it worth it! Carol, the owner sure had a story to tell about the way they salvage close to petrified wood, digging it out by hand in remote areas of Indonesia and then making the most wonderful furniture out of it! Talk about a success story given all the negative tsunami and earthquake news coming out of Indonesia!

You gotta check it out - the finest looking wine cabinets and these really funky, artsy Brazilian lamps - very cool! And Carol must be but the most knowledgeable sales person I have met on the issue of fair trade and making local entrepreneurship in countries like Indonesia replace all this hand out stuff we call humanitarian support. The artistry and the creativity of the locals producing the furniture with little prodcution means is astonishing.

If you want to make sure people in developing countries get their fair share and at the same time you want to own a very unique piece of marvelous furniture, while having an enlightening chat and laugh - go check out the Bazaar de la Paz!

Edward

• Pros: Sales staff, creative products, fair trade focus
• Cons: Hidden away, difficult to find, small

12/12/06

Most unique collection of handcrafted items from around the world

by yed

I collect pottery from around the world and I needed to get an anniversary gift, something unique. I found both and more at Bazaar de la Paz. They had pottery from places I've never seen available from other shops, places I'll probably never get to in my travels. The owner was extremely knowledgable. She let me know which items were functional and which were decorative, what parts of the countries they came from, techniques used, what things were made from, etc. There was no pressure to buy, which allowed me to take my time and look around. Something for everyone. MY HOLIDAY SHOPPING IS NEARLY COMPLETE! My nephew will get a kick out of the pop can lizard. Also, from what I understand, this shop operates for several good causes, benefitting people around the world as well as NYC schools. Can't beat that. I want to bring my wife on the next visit so she can look at the furniture. We both like one-of-a-kind and there were some nice cabinets and tables. Good prices, too.