Bridget Tierney, owner and operator of The Greenery gift shop in Scituate, is doing her part to end poverty around the world.
She makes a conscious effort to stock products crafted by disadvantaged artisans from throughout the United States and worldwide. Tierney works through groups such as the Fair Trade Federation, which seeks to alleviate global poverty through the promotion of trading practices based on principles of social and economic justice, according to the FTF’s Web site (www.FairTrade Federation.org).
She also specializes in products made by local artisans and sold on consignment. They range from soaps and lotions that are vegan and 100-percent natural to the colorful aprons and carry-all cloth bags crafted by a mother-and-daughter team in Providence.
“Everything I buy, I want to know where it’s produced,” Tierney said. “The idea is to buy directly from the producers.” By eliminating the middle man, she explained, everyone benefits – the artisans, the customers who enjoy lower prices and the store owner herself. “I made the conscious decision, that [is] how I want to run my business,” she said, before she ever heard of groups like the FTF. “I buy direct, too, from local artisans – and I’d like to find more.”
You can tell her small shop is one of a kind as soon as you approach. Flowers and blossoming plants in pots, boxes and on stone stands overflow the tiny front yard of what looks like an early 19th-century Colonial home. In fact, Tierney said, the house was once an inn, back in the days of stagecoaches when Route 6 was a main road from Boston to New York.
Born and raised in East Providence, Tierney earned her bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in Providence before taking off for the Big Apple, where she worked as a freelance electrician in theater and television, including at MTV, for about 10 years. She bought The Greenery when it was solely a flower shop more than four years ago, keeping the store name and continuing to run the busy florist’s shop that makes up a good part of her business.
She started phasing out from the gift shop trinkets made by meagerly paid workers slaving away in China. In their place are handmade products made in Ghana, Peru, South Africa, Nepal, Johnston or Providence. Consider the various lines of jewelry Tierney carries. There are pewter pieces crafted by Providence artisan Judy Vilmain, next to delicate beaded bracelets, necklaces and earrings from India. A woman from Montana made some pieces, an artisan from New York did others. “All of my jewelry is Fair Trade or it is local,” Tierney said. “It is all handmade.” Prices start at a reasonable $10 to $15 for earrings and $24 for a bracelet.
She is especially proud of the handmade “eco-friendly” line of notebooks and journals from “a great new company I found,” she said, Himalayan Mills, started by a UPS worker who went to Nepal and was impressed by the craftsmanship done there. The notebooks and journals feature handmade paper and finely stitched covers. Tierney has another line of paper made out of cotton rags, a product she notes saves trees.
Tierney showed a visitor a long, thin wine bag, selling for $12, made in the Philippines out of discarded Sunkist juice bags, cleaned and sewn together. Purchase of this item will help the homeless in the Philippines, she said.
Apiary Designs, a mother and daughter from Providence, make aprons, tote bags, coin purses and cosmetic cases, all made of cloth. “My Wicked Garden” is a line of soaps and lotions, made by a Johnston woman, that are “100-percent natural” and include “vegan body butter.”
A chandelier near the door is made of black wrought iron and recycled glass from Ghana, all handcrafted. The glass pieces are diamond-shaped and light green. Tierney said the glass is probably from Coca-Cola bottles that were melted down and recast.
From South Africa is a bottle-cap tote bag, made of dozens of Fanta orange-soda caps wired together. Light but sturdy bowls, decorated with food labels of red and white, were made by Wola Nani, which Tierney said means “embrace” in an African language. “These were made by a nonprofit company that helps families living with AIDS in South Africa,” she said.
A 41-year-old Providence resident, Tierney started her business as she approached the age of 40 and was looking for a new career. “You want to do something that’s going to help, that’s going to make a difference,” she said, “and this is the way I know how to do it – and the products are fabulous.” •
company profile: THE GREENERY
OWNER: Bridget Tierney
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Flower, gift and
garden shop
LOCATION: 132 Danielson Pike (Route 6), Scituate
EMPLOYEES: 2
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2004
ANNUAL SALES: WND
