This site was created in 2022 for the 30th anniversary of Bull City Fair Trade and serves as a publicly accessible digital museum to recount the history of the organization.
Our story began in 1991 in the basement of Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, NC. After seeing extreme poverty on their travels abroad, a group of dedicated volunteers decided to find a way to support low income artisans and farmers around the world. They started a small Saturday market selling coffee and crafts and as popularity grew, so did their dreams of opening a full-scale retail store.
In October of 1992, One World Market opened its doors on Perry Street and after thriving and outgrowing the space, the store moved just down the street to its current location in 2001.
For nearly 30 years, our sales have provided a sustainable source of fair pay for thousands of people in developing areas. We work with artisans and farmers in over 70 different countries, providing access to the US market to sell their crafts and food items. All of our partners are paid by fair trade standards ensuring they make a living wage in their country. Click here to learn more about our practices.
In 2019, we officially changed our name from One World Market to Bull City Fair Trade to make sure that the name of the store represents our mission as clearly as possible. We may have a new name, but our nonprofit mission and world changing game remains the same.
Come visit us on 9th Street or shop our new online store!
*Banner image and site design courtesy of Andre Chiquito