REVIEW: Philanthropy is pricey, but for a good cause

By Isabel Montesanto,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

I’ll be honest: when I decided to visit the store Philanthropy, I expected to hate it. It sounded, as my dad would say, “a little precious.”

I pictured either an extremely fancy boutique that gave some small percentage of profits to some unspecified cause, or a similarly snooty Whole Foods-esque nook filled with shapeless (yet ethical!) scarves and bag-dresses.

Instead, I walked into a small and cozy shop that put on no airs. Jacqueline White, its owner and only employee, was very down-to-earth and friendly, and it was clear just from talking to her that an incredible amount of thought and effort went into every detail of her business.

Philanthropy, which opened last December, sells clothes, jewelry, beauty products and accessories, as well as odds and ends like candles and tree-themed sculptures made by White’s grandfather.

Everything besides the art is made by companies whose productions methods are especially stellar (sustainable, fair trade, etc.) or that donate some portion of their profits or products to charitable causes. The store also holds special events, like a recent fundraiser for the Blue and White Foundation.

For each item that I glanced at, White named the brand and the details of its cause from memory, an impressive feat made possible by the fact that she picks all of her products herself. In such a limited store space, I was impressed with how much variety there was in the causes that the merchandise supported.

Some examples were earbuds from Sound and Purpose, a company which provides technology to help restore hearing to deaf children for every pair sold, and a thick blanket from Sackcloth and Ashes, which donates blankets to homeless shelters.

I ended up buying “textured herringbone crew sock[s] in peach” from Little River Rock Mill, a family-owned company in Alabama that knits socks from organic, fair-trade, sustainable materials.

Although stylish, warm and very comfortable, the pair cost cost $18, which is a lot of money for socks. Most of the items in the store cost more than that, which is unfortunate, because I think that a lot of them would appeal to high schoolers if they weren’t so expensive.

White’s boyfriend, Derrick Underwood, said that he and White have struggled to find ethical and helpful wares that are affordable. That’s often the case with “cause brands,” since fair wages and donations to good causes are impossible without a steeper sales price.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult for most people, me included, to rationalize paying $10 extra to a brand whose cause doesn’t have a local, immediate impact. I would rather donate directly to one of the many helpful nonprofits in Yolo County, such as NAMI-Yolo or STEAC.

Philanthropy is doing a lot to help people in the community and elsewhere, but its prices would have to drop before I would consider shopping there regularly. However, if you’re looking for a gift for someone special, or just feel like treating yourself, it’s certainly the people-loving place to go.