Look to your left upon entering Atlanta’s newly opened SustainAble Home Goods and you’ll see a massive, vibrant flower wall with a neon-lit message at its center: “Start a Revolution.” “That’s what we want to do in the retail industry,” says LaToya Tucciarone, owner of this globally and ethically sourced product emporium. Tucciarone is unwavering in her mission to educate buyers on their purchasing power and bring financial stability to the world’s marginalized communities through crafts. The flowers on the wall come from a collective of Nepalese women who make them out of local wool as a means of bringing economic empowerment to their community. All other items in the store, too, have a sustainability driven story to tell.
Starting as a humble outdoor stall in 2017 at Ponce City Market, a massive mixed-use development housed in a former Sears warehouse, SustainAble Home Goods is now a spacious brick-and-mortar shop adorned with handmade furniture, jewelry, bedding, kitchenware, stationery, artwork, and more from a local and international network of artisans. Here, video installations on wall-propped tablets sit next to select wares, providing visual proof of origins. A “Portraits of Artistry” wall, nodding to Tucciarone’s background as a photographer, features beautiful images of the makers—an elder Oaxacan woman grinning softly with a heavy clay vase on her shoulder; an isolated Moroccan villager in a mustard-colored hijab, standing proudly next to her patterned rug.
As much as possible, Tucciarone travels to meet the makers she showcases in her store, often taking along her four kids and husband to places like Cantel, Guatemala, to witness a local cooperative’s recycled glass-blowing process. The Southern California native has always had a penchant for cultures and fair trade practices, whether admiring the African artifacts in her childhood home, becoming president of her high school’s International Club, or working at ethical accessories retailer Noonday Collection before embarking on her own social business endeavors. Galvanized by recent calls to action, Tucciarone created a BIPOC Makers Collection section in her online shop to make it easier for customers to support talented Black and indigenous creators.
Here, Tucciarone shares some of her favorite items.
All products featured on Healthyish are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Other Articles
My Anxiety Symptoms Were Ruining My Life
