We journey. From Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we journey to find new colors, textures, materials, designs, methods, and products. We journey to find great people from great cultures who have great skills to make great things.
We journey to work with people who can turn our concepts and designs into reality. We also journey to buy existing products. We partner with individual artists, artisans, and fair trade producers. We make sure our producers are paid fair—or better—wages for the region in which they work, and ply their craft under clean and safe working conditions.
We journey to find items that are good for the planet, made from recycled, upcycled, and sustainable materials.
Our journey doesn’t stop when we get home. We hope to bring our customers along with us. Many of our customers understand notions of fair trade, green, and ethical consumption, and are delighted to find us. Others have been drawn to our products and, for the first time, think about what they buy and how it impacts others. Figuring all this stuff out is a process, and we’re delighted to be in the midst of it.
Our name is about journey: According to Chinese lore, three stone steps at the foot of a staircase promises solid footing for good journey. We wish you the same wherever your steps take you.
Three Stone Steps is owned and operated by Ellen Reich, daughter of a mother who hosted a monthly feminist reading group in our suburban club basement. Ellen spent about 15 years working in the U.S. labor movement, and started Three Stone Steps to merge her commitment to social, economic, and environmental justice with her keen sense of aesthetics.
