Green Hummingbird Fair Trade – Clothing that Tells a Story

The Story of The Green Hummingbird The name “Green Hummingbird” comes from an African story, as told by the Noble Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. ​​​​​​​The story takes place in the middle of a forest. One day the forest caught fire, and all the animals stood by, watching in horror as their homes slowly burned to
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Ten Thousand Villages – You Can Be Part of the Story

You can be part of the story. Be Fair. Buy Fair. Live Life Fair.  Ten Thousand Villages Harrisonburg,
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Mother Bear Medicinals – Grown, Wildcrafted, & Harvested by Trisha

Mother Bear Medicinals creates herbal tinctures, infused oils, blends and salves that have been grown, wildcrafted, and harvested by Trisha. These are formulations that she has made for herself and her family for years. (The herbs used to make TEA BLENDS are outsourced as well as the essential oils.) Trisha is now increasing her medicine
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What is Italian Ice? – Scotty’s Italian Ice

Italian Ice is what you’ve always wanted in a summer time treat, you just never knew it. Let me tell you why! But before I do, I’ll answer the questions I get asked all the time. Is it like crushed ice? Not at all. Shaved ice? Nope. Ice Cream? Custard? No. No. How much ice
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Ashi’s Boutique – Handmade with Love & Fair Trade

At Ashi’s Boutique you will find beautiful handmade Pakistani jewelery. From casual to party wear she offers a variety of styles and metals created with love and fair trade! To see more examples and buy owner Ashi Afridi’s jewelry, visit her Instagram pag
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Salsa dancing, leather bags, and fresh beer: forgiven loans help local businesses survive COVID

Dancers have once again begun to fill the Friendly City Dance Room, and Phase 3 precautions have made it a literal masquerade. Owner Phillip Fusaro told The Citizen that a typical day in the newly reopened studio looks like masked personal lessons, and then a round of sanitizing the space afterwards. As Fusaro put it, “rinse and repeat,
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After relocating and amid a pandemic, there is ‘Hope’

Mehretu Tekle dreamed of opening Hope Eritrean and Ethiopian Restaurant as a place of unity for the Harrisonburg community, where people could enjoy music and authentic food from the eastern African nations. All that was about to become a reality, but the COVID-19 pandemic put at least part of Tekle’s dream on hold. Opening a business during
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Hotiman Ridwan

Prospective restaurant owner Hotiman Ridwan had been developing his dream business for quite some time when he joined – and won – the Shenandoah Valley SBDC’s “What’s Cooking” Business Concept Plan Competition.  A restaurant manager and 18 year veteran of the hospitality industry, Ridwan began his culinary endeavors growing up in his home country of
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City Auto Services – Sherzad Barakay

Meet Sherzad Barakay of City Auto Services When I was eight years old, my passion of becoming a mechanic began. Throughout my life I was interested in repairing cars and creating machines from scratch. I was also always very quick to solve problems, so naturally mechanics work came very easily to me. In 1999, when
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Naza Salon & Barbershop – Shawn & Salwa Mahdi

A few years after I arrived in the United States with my brother, I had the idea of starting my own business. My brother has been trying to get me to start my own business for so long. He was the first person who encouraged me to start. Since I studied as a business major
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