Global Heart Fair Trade

This is the one store I have to visit every time I’m in Sonoma. I pretty much love everything about it – from the way it looks and smells to their honorable fair trade practices and global outreach/​awareness.
It’s like a smaller World Market without all the wine and beer, but still a pretty large storefront considering it’s location on the Sonoma Plaza. You’ll find 3 rooms full of unique goodies from around the world. Scarves, headbands, jewelry, bedding, kitchenware, candles, décor, a fantastic children’s section, coffee and tea, artwork, chocolates, all kinds of knick-​knacks, wind chimes… Everything is hand crafted and has a story to tell.
Items here aren’t cheap, they’re a bit on the pricey side, but you have to consider the product and where it came from/​how it was produced. Check out Global Heart’s website to learn more about how they source their products and interact with their business partners/​crafters/​builders/​artists. You can feel good about spending your money in a shop like this.
I walked away with a beautiful new headband, a ring, and an adorably unique cat carved from stone and painted in vibrant colors. It’s the perfect place to find an eclectic gift.

I was on a time constraint when I was visiting this store. I couldn’t stay long to browse and look at all the merchandise that they had to offer. The handmade scarves in various colors were beautiful. Some of the items were pricey. I fell in and out of love quickly with this handcrafted blue bag from India — the cost of $ 25 had me looking for something suitable to my budget at the time. I did find another canvas tote bag at $ 16, which I went ahead and bought. There were purses, greeting cards, clothes and jewelry that my heart so desired, but alas, I had only 5 minutes to look at their merchandise. My husband and I can always come back in the future to shop and dine in Sonoma.

The Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California did a fundraising event here and it was very successful! The store stays open 2 hours after normal closing time (6−8pm) and donates 15% of sales to the foundation. They had free coffee samples and a beautiful sign outside to let customers know about the event!
Fair trade, beautiful jewelry, scarves, home items and children’s books– I am loving this place! Some of the items are priced a little high, but overall you can pick up a few goodies as gifts or for yourself at reasonable prices.
Amanda and Lucy were awesome! They watched my bag for me behind the register and started a little pile for all the treasures I wanted to purchase so I could shop freely. I will definitely return!

Imported nicknacks. Too many things I want! Thai Lanterns, Beautiful scarves, Robes, and blankets that I want!

This store is the best. I have been coming here for years, and they always have beautiful jewelry, accessories, home furnishings and gift items. I recently got married and even did a gift registry here. The staff was very helpful with the registry, it was nice to register someplace that has unique items from all over the world, instead of just the typical gifts you might get. If you are in Sonoma, definitely go shop here!

Baksheesh is an interesting Middle Eastern take on Cost Plus World Market. Like it’s much larger Corporate doppelgänger, there’s lots of cool looking tchotchkes (over 3 big rooms) which are reasonably priced, yet leave you wondering what you’re going to do with them.
I think I remember an old Business School case study that pointed out that these places are low price — high margin establishments. That or the possibility that they own the building might explain why they’re still here within this «high rent» district. In any event, it’s worth the time to look around, because in terms of useful uses from causal purchases, you never know.

Interesting little shop. Everything looks really hand made. There are a lot of unique pieces here. Its great to support a place with such moral practices. It is surprisingly big, with three rooms full of items. They had everything from jewelry to pottery to artwork. It really feels like totally different world.

I love coming here for unique jewelry pieces and textiles from countries around the world that operate using fair trade and certified green practices!

Having just gotten back from India, I can say that this place has done a good job of finding the nicer items for sale in that country and importing them at a reasonable mark up. It is hard to not support a place that is promoting fair trade and positive environmental practices.
I normally buy something every time I enter the store, and my girlfriend bought and fell in love with a bronze tree statue that she uses to hang jewelry on.

I love this store! It is so fun to wonder around and check all their items out from all over the globe. I have found some really great jewelry and unique trinket gifts here. The staff is very friendly and helpful and it is just such a quaint little store in a fantastic location on the Sonoma Plaza. You will enjoy it, guaranteed.

I really like this store — Member Fair Trade Federation, certified green business — what’s not to love? I especially am a fan of their selection of earrings, from vastly different countries and in a rainbow array of colors.
Will come back next time I am in Sonoma.

A very lovely store — buy something and you recognize that you’re directly impacting the person who made the item!
It reminds me of «back-​in-​the-​day» Cost Plus (right down to the smell): all sorts of unique bags and purses, scarves, jewelry, foodstuffs, soaps, and home décor. Plus beautiful blankets made from saris; creative and attractive pillows; and beautiful paper items (including hand-​made cards). My favorite items included the nativity sets, which are at the very back of the store. They also had some very cool Christmas ornaments.
The icing on the cake: Instead of a shopping bag for my purchase, I opted for a small fair-​trade chocolate, which was SUPER good! (They sell them as well.) But, if you spend over $ 75, you receive a free fabric tote.
If you are in the square, and you’re looking for a unique gift or souvenir (or you’re just interested in browsing), this shop is definitely worth a peek. The items are inexpensive relative to their creativity and quality. Do stop in!

Baksheesh means donation. This is a superb store and must see if you love to see small decorations from all over the world, there was stuff from Peru, India and Pakistan just to name a few places.
Great prices and located in beautiful Sonoma downtown.
The whole family enjoyed the visit.

Very cute gift shop with lovely little trinkets, necklaces, decorations… not really my style but fun to browse.

This place is awesome.
I always find something I want (napkin rings! Animal shaped keychains!) but don’t need.
How can you dislike a place that offers you a chocolate if you forfeit a bag?
Also, they sell this awesome chapstick that I can’t remember the name of but I washed it two times in a pants pocket and it was fine! It’s miracle chapstick!

I love this store! Everytime we’re in Sonoma, I make it a point to drop by here and I always end up buying something since the items are so unique.
I was here today and I bought this cute nativity ornament from Peru. I know they’re a fair trade store but the ornament I bought was $ 12 which is definitely on the high end for a Christmas ornament. My Pottery Barn ornaments don’t cost as much but it was just so cute, I couldn’t resist: D
After I paid, they asked me if I wanted a chocolate instead of a bag for my ornament — I wouldn’t get a bag anyway but what a cool way to dissuade people from not getting a bag.

What an amazing store! When I pooped in and spoke to the girl at the register she informed me that they buy everything from artisans in third world countries and pay them fair wages… What a concept right!
I recently found out that there are 27 million slaves in the world & I’m not okay with that and neither is this store and they are doing something about it!
Please go out and support this cute store! They have some amazing jewelry & accessories!

Ohhhh, I love this store. It may even be one of my favorites in the entire Greater Bay Area. I first visited here 5 – 6 years ago with one of my best friends, and was so impressed by the variety of goods offered. Also, it’s arranged in a very aesthetically pleasing manner — usually by color/​size. The presentation leads to a very enjoyable experience — and the owner was extremely nice. Definitely a must-​stop if you’re in downtown Sonoma.

If you like Global exchange in SF, don’t miss Baksheesh.
No middle men costs so gifts of beautiful papers, cards, scarves, bags, and home décor here are intentionally reasonable.
Some generic looking things if you’ve never seen a recycled tire bag before but others are a little funner. If you have a latent hippie chick inside of you that needs a little release with under priced accessories, this, my girlfriends and cross dressers alike, might appeal to you.
Headbands and headwraps here are $ 5 – 8. stock up ladies.

I like the idea of this store (disadvantaged folks in other countries making stuff and hopefully making money from it), but I really don’t like the store very much. There isn’t much in there I’d buy for myself, and maybe only a few things I’d give as gifts. There’s a lot of the usual gimmick-​y «Hey, look at this bag. OMG it’s made from soda can pop tops.» or «Hey, look at this cool bangle. OMG it’s made of old copies of Cosmo!». There’s also a lot of predictable ethnic looking jewelry made in other countries that the people in those actual other countries don’t actually wear. There are a lot of really boring looking chino-​clad rich ladies in there going, «Oooh this is so *different*. You know I’m into the funkier stuff.»
I would really prefer it if the store had things that were made by impoverished people in other countries, and that those things were things that those impoverished people actually used in their day-​to-​day lives. That would be much more interesting.
The only thing in there that I would buy was the elephant dung stationary. It’s made of elephant poo that has been dried and pressed into paper, which is cool and slightly humorous, and it comes in beautiful colors and features whimsical animal designs.